Believe
by DreamsFromADistance
Summary: Season 1 Rewrite, SQ. Emma and Regina fall for each other the first night they meet. As she gets to know Emma, Regina realizes she doesn't want to be a villain anymore, so she strives to mend the mistakes of her past and break the curse with Emma and Henry's help. But it won't be an easy road, especially when Gold continues to interfere. (Rewrite of The First Step)
1. 108 Mifflin Street

_**A/N:**_ _Hello everyone! This is a rewrite of my story, "The First Step". If you haven't read that story, you can still read it if you'd like to, but you won't need to read it in order to understand this one. Basically, I decided to rewrite "The First Step" after realizing I was keeping it too close to the canon (which won't make sense for Emma and Regina's relationship later on), and I wanted to add a lot more originality to the story. Each episode in season 1 will get a rewrite (a few chapters will be devoted to each episode rewrite), but expect lots of diversion from how the show played out._ _To old and new readers alike, I hope you enjoy the new version of this story! :)_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own OUAT, its characters, or its storylines._

 _Season 1 Rewrite, SQ. Emma and Regina fall for each other the first night they meet. As she gets to know Emma, Regina realizes she doesn't want to be a villain anymore, so she strives to mend the mistakes of her past and break the curse with Emma and Henry's help. But it won't be an easy road, especially when Gold continues to interfere._

* * *

 _~Believe~_

 _Prologue: 108 Mifflin Street_

108 Mifflin Street.

If only I had known how very attached I would become to the grandiose mansion and the two people residing there. A mayor missing her happy ending and a ten year old believer. Combined with a lost savior, we made a great team.

I wish I had known how everything would change in the instant brown eyes met green ones. After one simple word escaped my lips.

 _Hi._

That was how my relationship with Regina Mills started. The most complicated and heartbreaking, but at the same time, the most beautiful and loving relationship I had ever been in. Regina understood me. She felt my pain. She was broken, just like myself. Together, we were able to mend the emptiness and loneliness that had accompanied our lives in a way that no one else could have ever done for us. It was all thanks to Henry, who had brought us together that first night in Storybrooke. The night that changed everything.

Regina and I would forever be grateful.

I just wished I hadn't taken as long as I had to admit my true love for Regina.

 _-Emma Swan_


	2. The Night That Changed Everything

_**A/N:**_ _To those who read "The First Step", I made more edits to this chapter than I originally thought I would (with the addition of new material towards the end), but the overall premise of the chapter is still the same. Hope you enjoy :)_

 _Warning – Suggestive themes mentioned in this section._

* * *

C _hapter One: The Night That Changed Everything_

" _Pilot" SQ Rewrite – Part 1_

 _October 22, 2011_

Another banner year.

That's what Emma Swan had told herself when she stared intently at the sparkling flame from the star-shaped candle poking from atop the cupcake she had bought. Twenty eight years old, all alone again. _Happy birthday to me._

She had closed her eyes and made a wish. It was typical to make birthday wishes, so why not? She made the same wish she had made every year since she had learned of this whole wish making ritual. She hadn't expected it to come true. It never had any year. Why she bothered wishing for the same thing every year, she didn't know. She had lost hope long ago that it would come true. Still, something about the happy-go-lucky feelings that were supposed to come with a birthday always convinced her to make the wish.

 _Please don't let me be alone on my birthday. Let someone be here to celebrate with me. Anyone._

Ryan Marlow did not count. He was the asshole she had been required to track down and take out. The son of a bitch abandoned his family when they needed him most. Abandonment. Willingly. She hated that. The chase reminded her of her own life. She was abandoned on the side of a freeway. What parents did that to their child? Hell, she had been eighteen when she had her son and at least had the decency to give him up for adoption.

But she had settled for a closed adoption. He was allowed no contact with his birth mother. It was the nicest kind of abandonment that could be offered.

Emma never thought she would see her son again.

Surprises were called surprises for a reason, though.

The kid showed up at her apartment door right after she blew out the candle. Her wish had finally come true. By the time she was taking him back to the mayor's house (and what luck she had that he happened to be the mayor's kid), she was regretting she had ever made the wish in the first place. The kid was absolutely stubborn.

Personality like his mother.

She drove on to Mifflin and sure enough, the mayor's house was the biggest one on the block, just as the kid's shrink had told her. She had briefly met with him when she stopped with Henry in the middle of all the shops on Main Street. She pulled to a stop and shut the car off. 108 Mifflin Street. She let out a breath, hoping for the best.

"Home sweet home."

No response.

"Okay." She tapped her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. "If you are going to make this difficult, so will I." She stepped out of the yellow Volkswagen and slammed the door behind her. She wasn't going to put up with this anymore. Tiredness was starting to sink in, and she still had to make the trip back to Boston. Yet the boy sitting in the passenger seat made no movements to get out of the car.

What a birthday.

They say be careful what you wish for.

She made a mental note to never make a birthday wish again.

"Come on, kid," she said, opening the door to crossed arms and a pout on his face.

"You can't make me."

"Sure I can. I'll use magic."

His face instantly lit up at the word "magic". He jumped out of the seat, looking up at her expectantly. "What can you do?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "See, this is proof that all the stories are true. You have magic because…"

Oh, the ten year old's imagination.

Emma knew this would get him out of the car. He was very fond of fairytales, trying to convince her all night that everyone in the town of Storybrooke, Maine was a character from those stories. A major part of her believed the town was not even named Storybrooke, despite the name written on the wooden sign that she had driven past earlier that evening. Who would honestly name a town "Storybrooke"? Maybe she would have to take that conversation up with the mayor.

"I'm just kidding. Magic isn't real."

"Yes it is!"

"Okay, kid. Let's go."

Emma turned away from him, marching past the hedges and up the pathway to the front door. She was done listening to this magic nonsense. He was only a kid, but she really felt he needed a dose of reality. He could not go on believing magic and fairytales existed. He had obviously been adamant enough to require therapy.

She shook her head. She was thinking too much about him, letting herself form connections with him. She couldn't let that happen.

"Please don't take me back there."

The genuine unhappiness in his voice killed her. That unhappiness was so familiar to her. Living in a home where you didn't feel you belonged. Ugh. So much for not allowing connections to form. She forced the words from her mouth. "I have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"I don't have parents," he protested. "Just a mom. And she's evil."

Emma stopped in her tracks, turning to look down at him. "Evil? A bit extreme, isn't it?"

"She is. She doesn't love me. She only pretends to."

"Kid…" She put her hands on her knees, leaning down slightly to get on his level. "I'm sure that's not true."

Just as she finished the sentence, she heard the door open and the anxious call of "Henry!" from the woman who was his adoptive mother. And that's when she knew.

Emma didn't believe the kid. The kid who was supposed to be her son. Henry. When she saw the woman who the boy claimed to be so evil and unloving pull him into the most compassionate hug, crying tears of joy that he had been returned home, she knew better. His mother cared about him and did love him. Henry was probably just upset. Maybe hit a rough patch and was adjusting.

"Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?"

She watched as the brunette drowned him with questions, clearly fretful about his whereabouts and overall safety. Emma was simply some random stranger in the woman's eyes. She didn't think it was terrible at all that she was so distressed. Another sign of her being a caring mother.

Henry was uninterested with his mother's concern. "I found my real mom," he spat angrily, pulling away from her embrace and running inside the house.

 _Come on, kid. That was harsh. You've nearly given her a heart attack about running away, and you treat her this way?_ However, Emma didn't think she would be so different. She had run away from her foster homes numerous times. She didn't care at all about how her foster parents felt about her leaving. But this woman was different than the many foster parents she'd had in her lifetime. Her "superpower" (her ability to tell whether people were lying or not—she had told Henry that this skill of hers was her special superpower, her attempt to relate to him on a child's level) told her that the woman was not faking her concern and that she would have been absolutely heartbroken had her son not come back home.

It was evident that the woman had been hurt by the boy's words, and as she looked up to her from the spot where he had been standing, she could read the sadness in her eyes. The wounded look of rejection. It was an expression Emma had seen many times on her own face.

The brunette stumbled with her words when she finally locked eyes with her. "You're… You're Henry's birth mother?"

"Hi," was all she could manage to choke out. Sure, she felt uncomfortable by the awkward situation Henry had created. What was more uncomfortable was the woman's brown, intense eyes burning into her green ones. And how beautiful she looked despite the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.

The annoyance and fatigue she had felt from chasing Marlow and then being dragged to this town slowly began to fade away. In that moment, none of it mattered. Looking at the mayor, she felt a connection. Not the same kind she was beginning to feel with Henry. It was a connection that scared her, the type that she had felt for the boy's father when she was a teenager. One that meant a possible future, but a more likely fatal end.

Feelings.

She had feelings for this woman.

Maybe it had been the way she expressed her love for Henry. Maybe it was the gray dress that complimented her features so well. Maybe it was how she had looked longingly at her when she asked her if she was Henry's birth mother.

That look of rejection.

The two had only shared a few words, yet she felt she knew everything about her. Because in that one look of rejection, she could read the pain that she guessed she so desperately tried to hide. Pain that was rooted deep in her past.

The brunette continued to stare at her for a few seconds, as if she was also lost for words. She then let herself look her up and down, taking in her appearance she assumed. Emma shifted uneasily, nervous about the silence that hung above the two.

 _What is she thinking?_

 _She's been looking at me for a while now._

 _Is there something wrong with my outfit?_

 _Does she…? Does she maybe find me attractive?_

She felt her head spinning. She couldn't stop thinking about how attractive the mayor was. Still, she highly doubted she felt the same about her. She was just making sure that the person who Henry insisted was his birth mother could be trusted. That was all. She put her hands in her jacket pockets, ready to turn on her heel and leave when she heard the woman clear her throat.

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

Emma was shocked. She thought this would be a quick exchange. Expected a sincere thank you and end of conversation. She should leave. Reject the offer. Move on before Henry and this mysterious woman got to her. But Henry was so upset. She needed to make sure he would be okay. He was her son—well, at least she was pretty damn sure he was. And this woman… She was already attached to her. She wanted to know more about her.

The words left her mouth before she could stop herself. "Got anything stronger?"

The mayor smiled slightly and then motioned for her to come inside. "My name is Regina Mills, by the way," she said as she closed the door.

"Emma Swan."

"Mind if I check on Henry and make a quick call to the town sheriff before I get the drinks?"

"No, not at all."

Regina nodded over to a room to the right of her. "I'll meet you in my study. Please, make yourself at home."

"Thanks." She watched Regina walk up the stairs, letting her eyes linger over the woman's backside. She really did look good in that dress. She would love to see the mayor without…

Whoa.

She shook her head. She could not let herself think of Regina like that. She had just met her. "Emma, stop," she whispered, trying to push those fantasies out of her head. She took a deep breath and walked into the study.

She glanced around the dark wooded room, taking in its elaborateness. To the left of the door, there were two large bookcases filled top to bottom with books. Two couches lay on either side of a petite coffee table at the center of the room. Behind the couch facing her, there was a fireplace. On the mantle, a clock stood in the middle of two ornate candles. She found the picture of the bird hanging on the wall a few inches above the mantle to be an interesting choice. Not exactly her taste.

The woman definitely had a thing for presentation. The study made her small apartment look shabby. She was certain the rest of the house would live up to the same expectation. She took a seat on the couch nearest the fireplace and found herself unable to slouch back in it. She felt she had to sit properly to match the room's décor. _So much for making yourself at home, Emma._ The fire crackling in the fireplace was reassuring, though. Calmed her nerves a bit.

After ten minutes of staring attentively at the coffee table in front of her and imagining how to respond in the possible conversations that would ensue, she heard the mayor's footsteps outside the study. She stood up in response, feeling like she had to give her a proper greeting. She smiled awkwardly as Regina entered the room and closed the door behind her. The brunette returned the smile, placing a bottle and two empty glasses on the coffee table. She took a seat across from her. Emma sat back down.

"Sorry for the wait, Miss Swan."

"No problem. He okay?"

Regina shrugged. "I suppose for tonight. I didn't get much out of him, but he did apologize. He was pretty tired. Long day for him."

"Yeah, probably past the kid's bedtime."

"That's for sure. I'm just glad he's safe." She smiled at her again. "Thank you for bringing him home, Miss Swan. I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life."

"Really, it wasn't a big deal. I just wanted to make sure he got home safely."

Regina filled the glasses and handed one to her. "Big deal or not, I appreciate it."

Emma nodded as her way of saying thanks and took a drink. Silence fell upon the two again, and she searched her mind for something to say. There were so many things she could ask the woman, so many things she wanted to know about her, about Henry, but instead, she blurted out, "You have a nice study."

Regina swallowed the last of her drink and laughed sweetly. "Um, thanks. I find it's quite peaceful."

"Yeah, it definitely, uh, gives off that vibe." Emma downed the rest of the drink and placed the glass down on the coffee table. "Do you mind?" She pushed the glass towards the bottle, her signal that she wanted more. Mentally she kicked herself, suddenly worried that Regina may think she was an alcoholic. She relaxed a bit at the mayor's response.

"Of course not." She refilled both of the glasses. She then gave her the glass back, held up hers in the air, and said, "Cheers?"

Emma took the drink and gently hit the glass against Regina's. "Cheers."

They both took a drink and then looked anywhere but at each other. She had expected an interrogation from the brunette, asking her questions left and right to make sure that she could be trusted to not take Henry away. It definitely seemed like a logical explanation for why she had invited her in for drinks. Get a little tipsy, then start telling the life story. But Regina never asked her about her past. The two kept up the small talk instead, sipping the alcohol vigorously at the persistent, uncomfortable pauses.

Two hours later.

Things had definitely become much more relaxed.

Regina was now sitting next to Emma, laughing hysterically about a story she was recounting. It had taken little convincing after the numerous drinks they'd had. Regina was all too eager to join her.

Emma had given her an intense stare and patted the empty space next to her. "Come on, Regina. Sit next to me."

She had tried to play it cool. Hide her satisfaction. But there had been a glimmer in her eyes and a slight grin. "Alright, Miss Swan." She had walked tentatively over to the couch, sitting slowly next to her, crossing her immaculate legs, and placing her hands on her lap before letting her eyes linger to hers. The seductive tone in her voice as she breathed her last statement gave it all away. Regina Mills had been waiting for this invitation ever since walking into the study. "You have my full attention."

Emma had grinned stupidly, unable to contain her excitement for what the evening would lead to.

The two women had soon settled back on the couch, mocking the room's elegant atmosphere. Shoes were kicked off, and Emma had thrown her red leather jacket over the arm of the couch. Regina had even uncrossed her legs, choosing to forget about the so called proper manners for sitting when wearing a dress. Not that it mattered. Her black tights didn't allow for anything to be revealed.

Not that Emma had been looking.

Maybe.

Just a few seconds?

Her legs were just so perfect…

Damn, she was drunk.

So was the mayor. She didn't think the story she was telling was that funny. Hell, she was pretty certain it wasn't accurate. Or even true. Yet she was laughing, putting a hand up to tell her to give her a minute as she recovered. And then the unexpected happened.

Regina Mills snorted.

The brunette sat up suddenly, clasping a hand around her mouth. Her cheeks were bright red. Clearly, this was not a usual event for her.

The stupid grin returned to Emma's face. "Did you just snort?"

" _Nnnooo_." Regina slowly turned to look at her, embarrassment plastered all over her face. Her lips curled into a smile when she registered Emma's expression, and she giggled. "Of course that would be _extremely_ unladylike of me."

"And me slouching back on your couch like this is any better?" Emma then sat up, looking into the woman's eyes. "It's cute."

Regina turned away, her gaze on her hands resting in her lap. Emma was surprised by her overall humiliation with the one little slip up, like she had been scowled numerous times as a child for the action. She reminded her of a queen with all of the properness the woman had displayed throughout the evening.

Oh boy. Now Henry was rubbing off on her.

A queen? Seriously?

Too many fairytales for the night.

Combined with too much to drink.

"Regina."

She didn't look at her.

Emma reached over to place a hand on top of Regina's hands. The brunette turned immediately back to her, seeming somewhat apprehensive, but she didn't move her hands away. "Don't be so embarrassed. Really, it's cute."

"Thanks." A quiet chuckle escaped her lips. "I guess."

"You know, I don't get why Henry thinks you're so evil. You seem like a very likeable person."

"You think so?" The brunette seemed surprised by the comment. It was like she had never heard anyone tell her she was likeable. The reaction intrigued Emma. Maybe it was the job title. Regina could have been perceived as "evil" because of being the mayor. The job had to be stressful, not allowing for many moments when she could let loose and be herself.

"Of course!"

"You have to understand. Ever since I became mayor, balancing things has been tricky. You have a job, I assume?"

Emma tensed. A bail bondsperson didn't come close to what the mayor did. She figured it would be better that she gave Regina as little information as possible about her own job, just in case that caused the woman to think of her differently. "Uh, I keep busy. Yeah."

"Imagine having another one on top of it. That's being a single mom. So I push for order. Am I strict? I suppose, but I do it for his own good. I want Henry to excel in life." She gave her a serious look. "I don't think that makes me evil, do you?"

"No. Kid's having a rough time. Happens. He's probably just adjusting to you becoming the mayor."

"I hope so," she said quietly.

Emma frowned. Regina was really not a terrible mother from what she had seen that night. She was giving Henry a life that Emma would have never been able to provide him, especially not at the age of eighteen, in jail, and all alone. Regina was a single parent, taking care of not only a child but also a town full of people. Henry should be appreciative to have someone who cared and loved him as much as she did. It was more than she ever had her entire life. "Regina, I'm really sorry he's acting this way. Maybe I can talk to him before I leave? I am so grateful that he has you in his life. I wanted to give him his best chance at life, and he definitely has that with you. It's more than I could have ever asked for."

Regina smiled briefly.

"Look, I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairytale thing."

"What fairytale thing?"

Emma laughed a bit. "Oh, you know, his book. How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it. Like his shrink is Jiminy Cricket."

The brunette looked completely lost. "I'm sorry. I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Regina didn't know about Henry's book. That meant the kid was hiding it from her. But why? She had guessed that Henry was in therapy because of his obsession with the book. If the brunette didn't know about the book, then why did he have a shrink? And most importantly… Which fairytale character did Henry think Regina was?

"You know what? Never mind the last part I said. But you are surely not evil. No matter what Henry says."

When Regina turned back to look at her, she noticed her brown eyes were glistening. It was more than Henry calling her evil. It was the fact that he wasn't accepting of her as his mother. That hurt the most. It killed Emma. Yet Regina still found the strength to smile through that pain.

Just like Emma had found the strength to push through her life of abandonment. Put on a smile. Pretend your life didn't suck. She felt more connections start to form between her and the brunette.

"Thanks, Emma."

 _Emma._ It was the first time that night she had called her by her first name.

Emma decided to do the best thing she could think of to comfort the mayor. She pulled her into a hug, which Regina welcomed wholeheartedly. She heard her sniffle. She was crying. Letting her guard down in front of a complete stranger. Maybe it was the alcohol, but something told Emma that it was genuine. Honest. It broke her heart. She rubbed her back gently. "I'm sorry he thinks that way of you. I really wish I could change it."

"It's okay," she replied quietly. "He'll grow out of it. Hopefully."

"No. It's not okay. If he should be mad at anyone, it's me. You have been there for him his whole life. I was the one who gave up on him."

"Oh, Emma. Don't think that of yourself."

Regina backed away from the hug, and she took Emma's hands in hers. She had evidently moved passed the slight uneasiness she felt earlier with holding hands. "Like you said. You wanted to give him his best chance at life. You gave him up because you cared about him. You cared enough to give him a life you felt would bring him happiness."

Emma smiled. "Thank you."

Regina nodded.

She wanted to say thank you in the best manner she felt was possible. She wasn't sure if it would be the right decision, but she really didn't care. Against what little judgment she had left from the alcohol, she leaned closer to Regina's face. She noticed her give her a questioning glance, but her brown eyes were yearning. The brunette knew very well what Emma wanted to do. She smiled slightly and gave her hands a gentle squeeze. Emma's heart skipped a beat. She was saying yes. That was her way of saying yes.

Regina's eyes followed Emma as she moved in. The first kiss was clumsy. Emma began to press her lips against the brunette's, and she was hesitant at first, but reciprocated nonetheless. The next time their lips met they were both willing. It was the softest, gentlest kiss Emma had ever shared with anyone. She loved it. The third time was even better. They hung on each other's lips for a few seconds, not wanting the moment to end.

She felt Regina's warm breath on her skin as she let out a sigh. Emma opened her eyes and watched her blink away one last tear. She was beaming, her eyes as bright as day. "Thank you."

Emma let go of her hands and placed a hand on her cheek, rubbing it with her thumb. She laughed kindly and glanced away briefly before looking up again. They stared at each other, brown eyes burning into green ones, for several minutes. Emma moved her gaze down to her pink lips and suddenly noticed a small scar above her upper lip. Regina saw her looking and reached up to take her hand. "I've had it since I was a little girl. Horseback riding accident. I fell off the saddle and hit the ground pretty hard."

"It's beautiful. Just like you."

Regina smiled. "And so are you."

And then the silence again. But this time, it was a welcoming silence. The two sat, hands intertwined, enjoying the peace the quietness brought. It was short lived, but Emma swore she could see a dozen emotions pass across the mayor's face during the time. What was she thinking? She could sense that something was bothering her. Something deep down under numerous walls that she had put up as her defense system to protect a broken heart.

Walls.

She had many of them, too.

A broken heart.

Tonight it was beating with more vigor than she ever remembered.

She knew Regina felt the same. In the last half hour, Regina had become an open book to her. She could read her because she was the mirror image of herself. She could envision Regina as a younger girl, upset, confused, frightened. Alone in a world where nothing made sense. And Emma was standing next to her. A few years younger than her. Emma was taking her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Regina's brown eyes were filled with tears, but they narrowed in such a way as if to say thank. _Thank you for being here._

The brunette spoke up, bringing Emma back to the study.

"You know, this might sound crazy…"

Emma chuckled. "This whole night has been crazy. I think I can handle it."

"Well, I've… Um…" She looked away shyly. "I've really wanted to kiss you all night." Her eyes were twinkling when she looked back at her. "That's why I invited you in for drinks. I wanted to get to know you better."

"Really?"

Regina nodded. "Yeah. Crazy?"

"No, not at all. Because I've wanted to do the same all night, too." Emma glanced at the clock on the fireplace mantle, squinting her eyes to read the small print. _11:42pm._ Her birthday was almost over. What an interesting birthday it had been. "It's still my birthday."

Regina smiled. "Well, happy birthday, dear!"

 _Dear._ She let the word echo in her mind. She hoped Regina would call her that more often. "Thanks, Regina. It's definitely been the…" She smirked. "Craziest, but best birthday I've ever had."

"I'm glad I could spend it with you."

"Me too."

Their eyes searched each other's, blinking steadily, but both conveying a fiery message. _Kiss me. Kiss me again._ Their gazes came together, both looking down and fixed on each other's quivering lips. Slowly, they leaned forward, their breath already becoming uneven. Emma pulled her hands away from Regina's grasp, the woman's hands protesting at first, but eventually letting go. She rested a hand on Regina's arm, feeling her flinch a bit at the touch. In that one movement, she could sense the nervous energy in the woman. Broken hearts were pounding simultaneously, mending together and beating with such incredible force.

The first few times their lips united had been hard enough. This time was different. This was the next step. Walls were being knocked down, exposing them to their feelings, their desires. Inches closer to their hearts.

So close. They were so damn close. Regina's eyes were moving back and forth rapidly, pleading impatiently with her. Emma swallowed her own nerves and tilted her head slightly. Regina took this as a sign to be ready, and she let her eyes slowly close. Their lips made contact, sluggish and timid at first, but progressing to more frequent and aggressive. Emma brushed her fingertips across Regina's skin as her hand moved down her arm, and she could feel the brunette shiver at the movement.

Regina let out a breath, and she stopped for a minute, pulling back slightly. Emma was disappointed, hoping for more. She gathered her words, ready to say her name, when the brunette surprised her, lunging back at her and pressing her lips hard against hers. Emma delivered, but she quickly realized it wasn't what she wanted. She breathed unsteadily, anxious and excited at the same time. She wanted this as much as Regina did.

Emma threw her arms around Regina's neck and kissed her again, opening her mouth and letting her have access. Their tongues met, and they searched each other's mouths hungrily as they continued to kiss. Regina was moving closer to her, almost on her lap. Emma could feel herself falling backward, and her head landed gently on the pillow behind her. The nervousness that had accompanied the two before this moment faded away. They were ready to let go. They both wanted it.

A giggle escaped from the both of them as Emma looked up at Regina and the brunette down at her. They shared a quick peck before Emma fell back on to the couch, gazing into Regina's brown eyes. She suddenly detected a flash of gold light, and her gaze shifted to a brilliant metallic ring hanging from a necklace around Regina's neck. It was the first time that night she had noticed the precious item.

Regina caught her gaze and gave her a small smile. "You like?"

Emma nodded.

"It was given to me a long time ago." Her voice trailed off, lost in some distant memory she imagined was unfolding in the brunette's mind. She whispered her next words. "From someone meaningful."

More bonds. Tying together tightly like knots in a rope. Emma reached for her own necklace, hidden under her gray long sleeve, and held it up in front of her. "I understand. No matter what you do, no matter how long ago it happened, you just can't seem to let go."

"Exactly."

Emma let the necklace fall back on her chest, and the brunette's eyes followed it. Something about the swan pendant transfixed her, and she picked it up, holding it between her forefinger and thumb. She laughed. "A swan?"

"Yeah."

"For your last name?"

"I know, I know. It seems stupid, sure. That was my reaction when he…" She stopped herself when Regina frowned.

"Henry's father."

"Yeah." Emma took hold of her hand. "It was a long time ago, Regina. I haven't spoken to him in ten years."

"It's okay. This ring?" With her free hand, she held out the ring in front of her. "It was given to me by a former love. His name was Daniel."

"Neal." She hesitated, worried how the brunette would react to her question. "Have you ever…?"

Regina knew what she was implying. _Have you ever kissed a girl?_ The brief moments of silence bothered Emma, and she realized that maybe she had gone too far. The brunette was rethinking what she was doing, what had led up to this, and was going to tell her to leave. It was a drunken mistake. She wasn't like herself.

Emma had never openly admitted it to anyone, but she did have a thing for women. She also had a thing for men. For her, a relationship was a relationship, whether it be with the opposite sex or the same sex. She had never dated another woman, but she had been attracted to a few. The problem was that she never knew if the other woman felt the same way, so she would always ignore her feelings, too afraid to ask and ruin whatever small connection she had formed with her. She would busy herself with her work instead, becoming numb and letting the feelings disintegrate to nothing. She sometimes wished she had done that with Neal. If only she had the hindsight at seventeen, when she first met him. She would have known better now. She had been in plenty of bad relationships in the last ten years. The minute she let her guard down, something would go wrong.

Yet here she was, doing it again with Regina.

When would she ever learn?

"No."

The answer scared her. Damn it. Regina was straight. Right? Shit. _You screwed this one up, Emma. Hope you have a nice walk of shame as you leave._

But Regina made no signs of getting up from the couch and telling her to leave. The next question fumbled from her mouth. "Are you okay with it?"

"Yes, Emma. I'm okay with it. Are you?"

Emma's heart fluttered. She had a chance with her. It didn't bother Regina, being in a relationship with another woman. She replied with ease. "Yes."

The wide grin that appeared on Regina's face only made her heart pound more. Her eyes lit up, and she rubbed Emma's hand softly. The brunette looked so happy. The happiest she had been all night. Or maybe in a long time. Emma guessed it was the latter.

"I guess I've been saving it," Regina said shyly, "for a woman like you."

"Me too."

Regina let go of both the ring and her hand and then reached up to undo the clasp of her necklace. "Now…" She held out the necklace, looking down at her with a small smile. "Let's not have this get in the way." She placed it on the coffee table, then turned back to Emma, nodding at her own necklace. "Do you mind?"

"No. Go ahead."

Emma watched as the brunette took off her necklace, handling it with such care as she delicately laid it down next to her own. It was if she could feel the weight it carried, the power of the memories it contained. Almost like she knew how hurt Emma would be if anything happened to it, equating the loss with her own misery if the treasured ring hanging off of her silver chain happened to disappear. They both stared at the two necklaces, placed nicely next to each other.

It was silly, but something about a swan pendant and a gold ring together seemed right. Like finally finding two puzzles pieces that fit together. Like it was meant to be. To be what, Emma didn't know. She didn't like to think that far ahead. Thinking forward meant the future. The future meant something developing. Or falling apart.

 _Tonight. Just think about tonight, Emma._

She could do that. Just tonight with Regina. One good night. That was all. The mere definition of a one night stand.

But that wasn't all she wanted. She wanted more nights with Regina. She wanted to know who she was, her life. She wanted _something_ with her. She knew all of this, but she was also afraid of her certainty.

Regina locked eyes with her, and all of her thoughts and fears melted away. Emma waited anxiously, her heart racing, anticipating what was to come. She had wanted to kiss the woman all night, but she didn't think she would get this lucky. At the start of the evening, she didn't even think she would step foot inside the house.

Regina lowered herself on to her, meeting Emma as she threw her arms around her neck and began to kiss her lips. Regina's hands fell on to her shoulders, but only briefly before she began to slide them down her torso to her thighs. Moments later, her hands drifted between her legs, rubbing along her inner thighs slowly. Emma moaned immediately at the touch, and she saw the brunette quickly smile as she continued the motion, repeating it several times before slipping one of her hands underneath her tank top and slightly downward. She moaned again the instant her fingertips reached her panties. She waited a few seconds, thinking Regina would go further, but she hesitated, bringing her hand back to the top of her jeans.

The brunette pulled back from her lips, whispering her name. "Emma…"

But Emma ignored her. She kissed her more furiously and ran her fingers through her hair instead, encouraging her to undo that button and zipper, urging her to slip a hand underneath her panties and do her thing. But Regina still seemed hesitant, and she only moved her hands up and down her inner thighs once more before leaning away, a little further from her than she had the last time.

"Emma."

 _No, no..._ She didn't want it to end. "Mhm?"

Regina wore a playful grin as she looked down at her. "I assume," she began, but Emma couldn't help herself. She kissed her again, and Regina accepted it, hanging on her lips before pulling back. "You'll be staying the night?"

Emma tried to find her voice, breathing heavily. "Yeah… I… I think so."

"I should probably show you where you'll be sleeping?"

 _Yes!_ "I'd like that."

Regina got up from the couch and then held out her hand to her. Emma gladly took it, beaming just as much as Regina was as she helped her to a standing position. Hand in hand, they took a quick look around the room.

The study was beginning to take more of a resemblance to her apartment. The once elegant room was now a mess of glasses, a nearly empty bottle of cider, two memorable necklaces, tossed off shoes, and her red leather jacket hanging off the side of the couch. It was the kind of mess that she would leave unattended after a long evening, which was something that occurred more frequently than she would have liked with her job. But this wasn't her house, and she had to think about Henry's reaction if he stumbled upon it the next day. She turned to Regina. "Should we…?"

The brunette shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Henry won't come in here."

Regina guided her to the door, turning off the lights on the way out and closing the door quietly behind them. She gave Emma a quick smile as she rushed over to the light switch in the foyer. The hall went black, and Emma noted the rest of the house was completely bathed in darkness. She felt the brunette take her hand again, and she gazed into her brown eyes. This was it. It was really happening. Emma hadn't done this in years. She had never been so open, so willing to let a stranger in.

Neal was the first.

Regina was the second.

She had sworn to herself that after Neal she would never let it go this far. Being emotionally connected with someone. Because all it meant was regret afterward.

But Regina was different. She knew she wouldn't regret this night, this _whatever_ it turned into. Deep down, something told her that. She was holding on tightly to that something tonight.

 _It felt right._

That simple. It just did.

They had been walking up the stairs when Regina stopped, putting a finger to her lips and pointing down. "This one creaks," she whispered. "Be careful."

"Okay."

Together, they stepped over the stair and walked carefully, but swiftly to Regina's bedroom. Regina opened the door, signaling for Emma to go in first, and she glanced down the hallway one last time before closing the door and joining her at the base of the bed. She wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close to her body. Emma felt electrified, enjoying the closeness, wanting to feel what she had on couch, wanting even more. They met each other's lips, engaging in a brief moment of intimacy before Regina backed away. Emma tried for another kiss, but Regina put up her hand.

"Our clothes, dear."

There it was again. _Dear_. It sent a chill down her spine.

Emma watched Regina pull off her tights, exposing her bare legs to her. They were so perfect…

She caught the brunette's gaze, and she hurried to undress. She had just thrown her white tank top on the floor when Regina's hands fell on her exposed skin, a little ways above her waist. The touch was so gentle, but it made her shiver. She let out a nervous breath and studied Regina. A few seconds later, she took her hands away and turned around, glancing over her shoulder at Emma with a seductive smile. Her gaze went to the zipper. "Go ahead."

Emma slowly undid the zipper, her eyes following the whole way down the woman's back. She stepped back, watching Regina turn around and so casually shrug off the dress and kick it aside. There she was, Regina Mills in nothing but her bra and panties. Emma couldn't help herself from gawking at her, taking in everything.

"My turn?"

Emma snapped out of her daydream and followed Regina's gaze. She was still wearing her jeans. She looked up and nodded.

Regina unbuttoned the jeans and undid the zipper, pausing for a few seconds at the bottom. Emma let out a shaky breath. She was so damn close. She could feel herself getting worked up.

Regina moved her hand back to the top of her jeans, tugging playfully on one of the belt loops. Emma started to pull them off, Regina helping her as she did so. The jeans were quickly throw aside. They both turned back to each other, eyes roaming their nearly naked bodies.

"Like what you see?"

Emma nodded eagerly. "Very much. You?"

"Yes." Her eyes lingered from her to the bed and back again. "Now. Shall we get on with it, dear?"

Emma nodded and held on tightly to her hand as Regina brought her to the bed, gently pushing her downward on the sheets. Emma moved toward the center with Regina crawling on top of her. The brunette immediately pressed her lips against her neck, and she raised her head in response, allowing her to trace kisses down her neck to her collarbone. Even in this wonderful moment of ecstasy the woman was giving her, she could still detect it. Regina's movements were careful, and she could sense the same nervousness she had exhibited back on the couch. Emma completely understood. This was a big step for her, too.

"Regina…"

"Mhm?"

"You're… You're nervous." She let out a shaky breath as the brunette slowly moved to kissing her chest. "That's why…" She paused, losing her train of thought as she continued. She was soon ready to try again, get the full sentence out this time, when Regina came below her breasts, and the words got lost in her throat as she let out a moan. She wondered if maybe she was wrong, that Regina wasn't nervous at all and had only wanted to give her a taste of what she would be experiencing now before coming to the bedroom, but once she finally got out what she wanted to say, she knew that she had been right all along. "That's why you hesitated."

Regina stopped just as she finished her sentence and leaned back, looking down at her with concerned eyes.

 _It's that same look she had after we backed away from kissing the first time. There's so much hidden in her brown eyes that I can't interpret, but that pain is crystal clear to me. She's worried about the future, just like I am._

"It's okay. I'm nervous, too. And not just because I've never done this with another woman before." She paused, catching her breath. "I haven't let myself do this for years… I've been afraid to… Emotionally connecting myself with someone."

The brunette spoke in a whisper. "I haven't either."

"It's scary, you know? Because you don't know where it'll go… What it means for the future…"

"Yeah."

"But something is different about you, Regina. And I just know that something about us... Us being _together?_ It just feels right to me."

Regina's eyes began to glisten, and she glanced away. Emma cupped her chin with her hand and gently turned her head back towards her. She wanted her to be looking at her when she said her next words, for her to know she really meant everything she was about to tell her.

"I want something with you, Regina. I want _you._ "

A few tears rolled down her face. Emma frowned, worried that maybe she had been too deep, that it was too much for Regina to handle so soon after meeting her. She used her thumb to quickly wipe her tears away and then stroked her cheek, hoping to comfort her. "Don't cry. Please. I hate seeing you upset."

The brunette shook her head and smiled at her. "I'm not, Emma. I'm really, _really_ happy." She reached up to take her hand and entwined her fingers with hers. "These are tears of joy, dear."

Emma relaxed at her response and smiled.

Regina gave her hand a light squeeze. "I want something with you, too."

And it was gone. That pain she had seen shine in the brunette's eyes numerous times that evening had completely disappeared. She had wondered earlier if sharing this evening with her had been one of the happiest moments Regina had experienced in a long time, and now, she knew it was. And no matter what happened later on between the two of them, she knew they would never forget this night. It was a night that had truly changed something in the both of them.

Emma was ready. Nervous still, but ready to move forward.

She nodded downward. "Go ahead, Regina."

Regina let go of her hand as she pulled it away, and she sat up slightly. She could tell Regina was still nervous as well, and she just stared at her for a few moments, like she wasn't certain if she should do what she wanted her to.

"It's okay."

The brunette nodded, and with shaky hands, she reached around Emma's back and unclasped her bra. Emma put out her arms, allowing Regina to take it off and throw it to the floor. Emma laid back down on the bed, and she blushed as Regina looked down at her now exposed breasts. After a few seconds, she gave a small nod downward again, and Regina understood, bringing her hands down to her panties. She glanced up at her, and Emma gave her an encouraging nod. She didn't hesitate after that, and her panties were soon tossed to the floor.

Emma let out an anxious breath as Regina lowered herself back on to her and started kissing along her neck again. She slowly worked her way downward, her hands traveling the entire scope of her body as she did so. Emma could feel herself grow warm, her skin on fire against Regina's touch. And then suddenly her fingers were inside her, and despite being unsure of herself earlier, Regina didn't disappoint. Emma reached for the bedsheets and gripped them tightly, arching her back and pushing forward slightly against her motions. Her senses of the outside world slipped away, replaced by the intense euphoria of the moment that was too short lived. She moaned as she came around, her legs going weak at the power of the release. Regina moved to the right of her, resting on her side as she waited for her to recover. She closed her eyes until her breathing had evened and then turned on her side to face Regina. The brunette brought her hand up to her face and caressed her cheek.

"That was amazing, Regina."

She smiled and pushed some of her blonde hair behind her ear. "My turn?"

Emma nodded and helped her take off the last of her garments like she had done for her. She was soon on top of her, kissing her everywhere, mimicking the brunette's movements as best as she could. She had been afraid she wouldn't be able to deliver as well as she had, but she could tell Regina was enjoying every minute of it. After she came around, she pulled Emma close to her, resting her forehead against her shoulder as she relaxed her breathing.

"Did I…? Did I do okay?"

"Yes, Emma. You did lovely."

And the brunette brought her into an embrace, holding on to her like that for a while before they moved under the covers.

Emma was thankful Regina had invited her inside for drinks.

And for her birthday wish. It was truly a banner year. She would surely never forget this birthday. Maybe she would make another birthday wish next year. The question, though… What would she wish for next year?

"Thank you."

Emma was now laying on her stomach, the covers thrown over her backside, and resting her head on her arms as she gazed tiredly up at Regina. The brunette was laying on her back, the covers pulled up over her chest. She smiled at the comment and looked down at her with mirrored fatigue. Emma could tell she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Happy birthday, Emma." Regina paused, caressing her forehead. Emma shivered. "And thank you."

They stared longingly at each other for several minutes, holding on to the memory of the night. The exhaustion soon won, and Emma curled up next to Regina, closing her eyes. She stayed awake for as long as she could, waiting for Regina to fall asleep, and listened to her breathing. It was soothing. Peaceful.

Twenty eight years old, no longer all alone.

 _Happy birthday to me._

* * *

 _So... Did you like it? Leave a review and let me know what you thought! :)_


	3. To Have a Family

_**A/N:**_ _Thank you for all of the feedback for the last two chapters. All of your comments made my day, and I'm glad to hear that those who read the original like it just as much (or more than) the original. Thank you also to those who have favorited and followed this story. I appreciate that so many of you like the story premise!_

 _A few things…_

 _-I apologize I've taken a while to get this chapter up. I'm finishing up a few summer classes at the moment, so my writing time has been pretty limited. I will try to get the next chapter up sooner._

 _-There will be more Emma/Henry and Regina/Henry moments in this story (with the addition of Henry's POV here and there) with the most recent of these moments coming in the 1x03 rewrite that I have planned so far. We'll see Gold begin to meddle with Emma and Regina's relationship at the beginning of the 1x04 rewrite._

 _-To those who read the original, there are noticeable changes to this chapter, particularly in the sections with Regina's POV._

* * *

 _Chapter Two: To Have a Family_

" _Pilot" SQ Rewrite – Part 2_

6:45am.

Someone was shaking her arm and yelling in her ear.

"Emma, wake up! Wake up!"

It took her a couple of minutes to register the voice. She opened her eyes to a frazzled Regina Mills, who was sitting up and holding the covers around her naked body. She smirked at her sudden modesty. "You don't have to hide from me, Regina." She reached her hand to take Regina's, but was greeted with an unexpected swat on her hand instead. Frowning, she asked, "What the hell?"

"We don't have the time. I have to walk Henry to school in an hour. And you're not supposed to be here. I need you to move your car."

She turned her head to her left and saw the sunlight creeping through the blinds. The slight movement irritated her, and she could feel a pounding begin to resonate in her head, threatening to become a headache later. "Ugh… Do I have to do it now?"

"Yes. Before Henry notices."

"Fine," she groaned. "Is he up yet?"

"You have ten minutes."

"Seriously?" Emma reached over the side of the bed, grabbing her undergarments and putting them on under the sheets. She then pushed herself off the bed a little too quickly, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over her. "You gave me like no time."

"Our little rendezvous messed up my sleeping pattern."

"More like you forgot to set an alarm." She picked up her tank top and jeans, struggling to put them on as the pounding in her head grew worse. Damn hangover. She steadied herself, finding herself standing before a mirror she had not noticed in the height of their sexual bliss the night before. She checked her appearance, figuring it was good enough for moving a car, and ran a hand through her hair before turning back to Regina. She still hadn't moved positions. Emma frowned. "Why the sudden modesty?"

"Oh. Um…" The brunette settled back against the headboard, letting her hands fall in her lap, and she shrugged. "I was just thinking."

Emma swallowed hard. She didn't like the sound of that sentence. Regina was thinking over what had happened last night. She was regretting having sex with her, she bet. Damn it. Maybe she had been too sure of herself. Overly confident that something about them, together, felt right. After moving her Bug, Regina would tell her to never come back. Leave both her and her son alone. She would be alone again.

She should have known.

It was only meant to be one night.

Why was she so stupid? Why had she let it go that far? Drunk or not, she should have known better.

Her shoulders slumped. "You're regretting what you did."

"What?"

"Having sex with me."

Regina's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "No, no. Please don't think that, Emma. I don't regret anything that happened last night." She glanced away, seemingly distracted by a memory from the night before, and a smile crept upon her lips. She looked back at her, her brown eyes now glowing with happiness. "Want to know what I was thinking about?"

Emma nodded, and she walked over to her bedside.

"Your words to me. When you said you wanted something with me?"

"I meant it."

"I know. And I did, too. I want something with you, Emma." Regina reached for her hands, taking hold of them and giving them a gentle shake. "And then when you said you wanted me? I haven't heard someone say that to me in a long time. And it really, _really_ means a lot to me that you want me, Emma."

Emma leaned down to give her a kiss, and as Regina pressed her lips against hers, she could feel the power of the emotions behind her words, her appreciation about being wanted by her, her desire to let their first night together grow into something more. Regina hung on her lips for a few seconds before they backed away slightly, but the action meant so much more than wanting to kiss her again. She was telling her she didn't want to let go of _them_ , of the chance for their instant connection to develop into a meaningful future together. And Emma didn't want to let go of that either.

"I'm sorry I even thought you regretted last night. I just got worried when you seemed reserved all of the sudden, and I jumped to conclusions… I was afraid you'd tell me to leave, and I didn't want that."

"It's okay, dear. I just started thinking back to the _good_ memories of last night, and that conversation we had really hit me." Regina brought her hand up to her face and caressed her cheek. "I want you, Emma. I could never tell you to leave. I'd hate myself for that. For not giving you a chance." She kissed her, and once again Emma could feel those emotions being transferred to her from the touch. When they backed away from the kiss this time, they rested their foreheads against each other's, and Emma glanced to her right to read the clock on the nightstand. She didn't want to let this moment end, but five minutes had already gone by, and she still had to move her car and come back without being seen by Henry.

"Regina?"

"Hm?"

"I should probably go move my car before Henry sees me walking out of your room?"

"Yeah. I don't think we want to start our morning trying to explain that one to him." She leaned away from her and let go of her hands. "Join me in the shower when you get back?"

"Will do."

* * *

Regina watched as the door closed quietly behind the blonde. She fell back against the headboard and closed her eyes, thinking of how her life had taken a drastic turn in the course of twenty four hours.

Yesterday morning, it had been her and Henry. She had taken him to school, just like any other day, only to find out hours later that he hadn't ever made it to the school. She remembered searching desperately for him, enlisting Graham for help to cover more ground, and the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach when he was nowhere to be found. She tried to have a little faith that he would return on his own, but once dinner came and there was still no sign or word from him, reality dawned on her that her son was truly missing. She had paced her foyer continuously, and with each glance she made out the window in which she didn't see her little boy coming down the path, her worry escalated, her mind becoming overwhelmed with dreadful, panicked thoughts of what could have happened to him.

But then she saw him. And he wasn't alone.

Relief had washed over her, and she immediately threw open the door, rushing to him and pulling him into the tightest embrace. She ignored the stranger standing behind him until he pointed her out, saying that he'd found his real mom, and ran inside the house. For a split second, she was angry that he hadn't bothered to apologize for his disappearance and causing her such distress. Then came the sadness for being rejected by him for his birth mother, a woman he barely knew anything about and who had never loved him the way she had. Yet when her brown eyes connected with this woman's green ones, that sadness faded away. And suddenly she was confused, because her heart began to pound, and she couldn't form the words to confirm with her that she was indeed Henry's birth mother. When she finally mumbled the question, the blonde just gave her a nervous "hi". Regina continued to stare at her, completely in awe by how beautiful she was. She allowed an awkward silence to persist too long between them because of her inability to find something to say, and when it seemed the discomfort was becoming too much for the both of them, she quickly cleared her throat and invited her inside for drinks, afraid the woman would dismiss herself otherwise. She accepted almost immediately, and slowly, the evening built up, one thing leading to another.

Regret.

That was what Regina should have been feeling about that whole evening. Because pursuing something with the woman who was supposed to be Henry's birth mother was problematic. Very problematic.

But could it really be her?

It was her birthday last night. If she had to take a bet, it was most likely her twenty eighth. What were the odds of a woman arriving in Storybrooke on her twenty eighth birthday if it wasn't her? It was exactly what _he_ had prophesized.

Their first kiss. And the next. And the one after that.

The name _Emma Swan_ meant nothing to her when the blonde first said it that evening. Once their lips met, all the memories associated with her name came back to her in quick flashes.

Nearly ten years ago. Boston adoption agency on Dartmin Street. Henry crying constantly, her not knowing what to do to make him stop. Taking him to Dr. Whale, afraid he might be sick. Needing the birth mother's medical records, just to be safe. Calling Sidney, having him pull a few strings, breaking the law to get the desired information for Henry's wellbeing. Those records being faxed to her by Sidney. Finding out she had appeared outside of Storybrooke eighteen years prior. Realizing who this _Emma Swan_ really was. Confronting Gold, wanting to send Henry back to Boston the next day. Bringing him back to the adoption agency, then deciding on keeping him because he was _her_ son. Constant worry afterward that the birth mother, Miss Emma Swan, would come back for him, regretting her decision to give him away. And then procuring an ancient potion to forget her name, to cease her worry.

But all of it returned. That worry. The fear of what it meant for Henry's birth mother to be Emma Swan.

Just those first three kisses.

That was all she needed to remember what she had forgotten years ago.

Temporarily, she was able to push those thoughts away, disregarding the past and the significance of who Emma was. She even indulged herself in the possibility of having a relationship with her, hoping she could convince her to stay in Storybrooke for a while, to give her and the town a chance. Because she really had enjoyed the time she spent with Emma, and she hadn't felt a connection with someone like this in _such_ a long time.

But then she got too close to her, became too intimate, and that worry hit her again, forcing her to pull back for a few seconds before Emma brought her back to her, distracting her once more. It wasn't until they were in the bedroom, about to do their thing, when it came back to her, and Emma sensed it, voicing the concern playing through her mind about allowing herself to have an emotional bond with her.

Emma was also afraid of what a relationship with her might mean for the future, but at the same time, she seemed so sure that the two of them being together felt right. Then two sentences left her mouth, and that was when Regina knew everything would change.

 _I want something with you, Regina. I want_ you.

Emma wanted her. The last time anyone had ever wanted her was years ago, and that person held a special place in her heart, even to this day.

Regina reached for a blanket and wrapped it tightly around her. She made her way to the bathroom and turned on the shower, allowing it to warm up. She stood in front of the mirror, looking up at her reflection. She almost didn't recognize herself. The cold, hardened expression that she had become accustomed to seeing on her face wasn't staring back at her. Rather, she actually looked happy. Because that was how Emma Swan made her feel.

She smiled.

Something did feel right about being with her, and she was going to embrace that.

* * *

Emma took a quick right, driving a little way down the side street until she felt she was far enough away. She didn't know her way around town that well, but she knew the direction of the school, having passed it on the drive to Regina's house. She had made sure to go in the opposite direction. The last thing she needed was Henry to spot the car on his walk with Regina. She knew the kid was observant.

And a sneaky bastard. He'd left his storybook on the passenger seat. He obviously had intended on her returning even if she had decided to leave last night. He knew she would bring the book back. The book was his life. Which definitely worried her, but it wouldn't have stopped her from giving it to him.

She glanced at the street sign after locking the VW. _Birch Street._ She would have to remember that on her way back.

She had successfully made it out of the house (remembering to avoid the creaky step on her way down the stairs) without rousing Henry. She wasn't sure the time, but she knew it had to be past her ten minutes, especially after the passionate moment she'd shared with Regina before leaving the bedroom. She glanced around her, picking up her swift pace to a jog. It was early enough. She doubted the neighbors paid much attention. They had their own morning routines to worry about, work to get to, children to bring to school, goodbyes to say to family on the way out the door.

Emma wished she knew that life. All of the houses around her reminded her of that kind of life. The closest she ever came to having that life was through television and imagining it based on what was portrayed to her on the screen. It sucked, not knowing. As a child, she had wanted the welcome of, "Good morning, honey!" as she ate her breakfast, a mother to fuss over how she looked, and a father to kiss her on the cheek before leaving to work. Now, she wanted a significant other to greet her in the morning with coffee, a hug, and a kiss, a stable job that she enjoyed, and to be with her son. To mess up his hair, kiss him on the head, and smile as he yelled, "Mom!" at her ridiculous behavior. But every morning she would still do it because she loved him.

A home.

She wanted a home.

And she really wanted to get to know her son.

She stood in front of the door to Regina's house. Maybe this could be it? Her home? Would Regina want that? For the three of them to live together as a family?

She took a deep breath.

They both wanted a relationship with each other, but was the thought of having a home here in Storybrooke with Regina and Henry too much? Even if that thought just felt right to her?

 _One step at a time, Em. One step at a time._

Emma headed back inside the house and made her way up the stairs, focusing on one thought: Meet Regina in the shower.

She got to the bedroom without being seen by Henry and smiled at the sound of the running shower. She entered the bathroom, quickly undressing, and stepped inside the shower. She leaned against Regina's back, placing her hands in front of her eyes. "Surprise."

Regina turned around immediately, kissing her on the lips. "Hello, dear." They met for a second kiss. "Sorry for the rushing around."

"It's okay. I wouldn't change it for anything." Emma gave her another kiss, hanging on her lips for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry, but we're going to have to make this quick."

Emma eyed the bottle of shampoo behind her. "Well, let me help you then." She picked up the bottle and held it up for confirmation.

"Yes, I was just about to wash my hair."

She poured some of the shampoo into her palm. "Turn around."

Emma and Regina took turns rinsing their hair under the showerhead, laughing at each other a few times as they fought for the water. They were soon in front of the mirror, both wrapped in a towel, trying to get ready. After a few minutes, Emma slouched back against the wall, watching Regina's reflection as she blow-dried her hair. The brunette's reflection smiled back at her when she caught Emma looking.

"Having fun?"

"You're just so damn beautiful."

Regina glanced down, her smile so wide she could see her teeth. She looked back up. "You are, too." She suddenly turned the blow dryer on her.

Emma put her hands in front of her face, laughing. "What the hell?"

"I thought I'd share."

"Oh really?" She grabbed the blow dryer from Regina and twisted it in her direction, blowing the hot air on her face.

Regina's voice rose to a higher pitch as she yelled at her jokingly. It was cute. "Stop it!"

"Am I distracting you?"

Regina pushed the blow dryer down. "Yes, you are."

They stared each other down playfully, then leaned in for a kiss. Regina bit her lip gently, not wanting to let go. Emma chuckled. "Okay… You should probably get back to getting ready."

Regina reluctantly backed away and turned the blow dryer back to her hair. She finished quickly, running a hand through her hair and styling it in a few spots before handing the blow dryer, still on, to Emma. Anything to make it sound like there weren't two people currently getting ready in Regina's bathroom. "Your turn."

"Thank you."

Emma focused less on drying her hair and more on the woman standing beside her. She tried to be subtle, but she liked watching her. Sure, all Regina was doing was brushing her teeth and putting on her makeup, but it didn't matter. She did everything so delicately. Emma had to admit, it was nice to wake up with someone and be a part of their morning routine.

Regina was great at catching Emma off guard. The first time was after she spit out her toothpaste in the sink. She raised an eyebrow at her, and Emma moved the blow dryer. She'd had it pointed at the same spot for at least two minutes.

The next few times occurred when the brunette was putting on her makeup. She would stop, make a funny face at Emma, and cause a stir of laughter from the both of them. Emma's favorite was when she purposely messed up her eyeliner, faked an exasperated sigh, and then frowned.

When they were both finished, Regina reached into the top drawer and held out a toothbrush.

"Are you trying to tell me my breath stinks?"

Regina shook her head and laughed. "No, Emma. I figured you may want to brush your teeth. Like normal people do in the morning."

Emma brushed the back of her hand across her forehead. "Phew. I was worried there." She tentatively put her hand around the toothbrush.

"Well, don't be so afraid of it. I promise it's new."

"Again, another close call. I thought you may have given me your old toothbrush."

Regina swatted her shoulder lightly. "You're such a goof."

"You know you like it."

Regina placed the toothpaste on the counter, shaking her head as she left the bathroom. Emma brushed her teeth and got dressed, turning off the light in the bathroom before walking back into the bedroom. She saw Regina was fully dressed now, wearing a black dress and a gray blazer. She stood in front of the mirror, fixing her hair in a few places. Emma put her hands in her jean pockets, and her fingertips brushed along the top of her iPhone that now rested in her left pocket.

 _Should I?_

She needed a way to reach Regina after their night together, yet the idea of asking for her number made her nervous.

"Regina?"

She turned away from the mirror. "Yes?"

"Do you think…? Could I…? Um…"

A slight grin appeared on her face, and it looked like she may laugh at her difficulty with phrasing her question, but she didn't lose composure and waited patiently for her to finish.

"Can I have your number?" Emma shifted uneasily. "In case either you or I need to get in contact with each other quickly because of Henry. Or, you know, just so we can talk."

Her smile grew wider. "Of course, Emma." She walked over to her, pulling out her own iPhone. "Talking would be nice."

They exchanged numbers. _Regina Mills._ It felt good to have a new contact in her phone. She couldn't remember the last time she had added a new contact to her list who was non-work related, especially someone she liked. Damn. She was really lonely.

"So…" Regina leaned to Emma, and they shared a single, passionate kiss. "I'll see you soon?"

"Mmhm."

Emma began to kiss her again, throwing her arms around Regina. They both took a few steps backward as they indulged in the moment.

"Emma…"

"Hm?"

Emma moved down to Regina's neck, pressing her lips against her soft skin.

"Emma!" Her voice was full of delight, and she let out a giggle. "Stop it!"

"Aw, but you like it."

She allowed Emma to continue, letting out a shaky breath. "The time…"

Emma came back to her lips, kissing her once more before backing away slightly. "I know. I never got the chance to say good morning to you."

Regina reached a hand up to her face and gazed longingly into her eyes. "Good morning, Emma."

She replied in a whisper, lost in the woman's brown eyes. "Good morning, Regina."

They leaned in for one more kiss. Regina then peered over Emma's shoulder. "7:35." She looked back at her. "Make yourself at home while we're gone."

"I think I already have."

"We'll leave around 7:50." Regina chuckled. "You can come out of hiding then."

"Sounds good."

Regina stepped away from her and headed to the door, opening it slightly and putting a finger to her lips. Emma mirrored the action, which earned her a grin from Regina as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She glanced around the room, her eyes landing on the bed. It didn't take her long to decide what she would do in the meantime. The pounding in her head had returned.

"Sleep, here I come."

She fell face first on the bed and closed her eyes.

* * *

Regina walked down the hallway, stopping just before the kitchen and leaning against the wall for a minute to recover. She was reminded of the slight hangover, the pain in her head now returning after her exhilarating moment with Emma. She let out a breath and then glanced into the kitchen, seeing Henry eating a bowl of cereal at the table and reading the front page of the _Storybrooke Daily Mirror_ , the town's local newspaper. She studied him, taking in any signs of unusual behavior. She was a bit worried that maybe he did hear something last night. He didn't seem perturbed by anything, though, and she figured he was sound asleep last night.

She entered the room, walking past Henry to the coffee maker. He dropped his spoon, which clacked loudly against the bowl, and exclaimed, "There you are!"

She cringed at the volume of his voice. "Good morning, Henry." She stared down at the coffee maker, deliberating if she wanted to make any. "Ready for school, dear?"

"Sure."

"Thank you for getting the newspaper."

"Yep."

She decided against making coffee and settled on buying it from Granny's diner on the way back from the school. She'd buy one for Emma, too. "Anything fun planned in class today?"

"I think Miss Blanchard is going to have us build birdhouses."

Right. Birdhouses. She lowered her voice, disgruntled. "Of course she is." She turned around and leaned against the counter, forcing a smile and sweet tone. "That sounds nice."

Mary Margaret Blanchard. She was Henry's fourth grade teacher. The woman absolutely annoyed her. She was too nice, too thoughtful. She meddled in other people's business because she misconstrued it as doing them a favor. She held on to hope as her precious good luck charm, that things would always work themselves out in the right way. She was in a dream. A dream that Regina had destroyed.

 _Regina._

 _Should you really be thinking that way given who Emma is?_

She distracted herself from her conflicting thoughts by glancing at the stove clock and reading the time. "It's 7:42, Henry. Finish up quickly and brush your teeth."

"Okay." He took a few more spoonfuls of his cereal, drank the last of his orange juice, and stood up from his chair. He glanced at the dishes with hesitation. Regina walked over to the table and picked them up.

"I've got it. Go on and finish getting ready."

Henry nodded and ran out of the kitchen.

As Regina washed the dishes, she thought about the day ahead of her. What could she do with Emma before going off to work? They could walk to Town Hall together, hand in hand, sipping their coffees. She smiled at the idea, but reality dawned on her soon afterward. She knew they couldn't make their relationship public right away, especially with Emma having just arrived in Storybrooke the night before. Still, she was excited for that time to come and the many other moments she would spend with the blonde in the future. She couldn't remember feeling this way since the first glance she'd shared with…

 _Daniel._

She quickly turned away from the sink and headed out of the kitchen before she could dwell on the painful memories for too long. When she walked into the foyer, Henry was running down the stairs, and she smiled at him. "All set?"

Henry threw his backpack over his shoulder and nodded.

Regina grabbed her purse and took one last glance at Henry before opening the door. She put her hand on his back, guiding him through the door, and they were on their way to the bus stop. Henry wasn't particularly in a talkative mood that morning, which Regina figured had to do with last night's events.

 _What would he think?_

 _Would he be accepting of my relationship with Emma?_

 _Would he maybe not think I was so evil then?_

"I hope you don't send her away."

They were now standing on Main Street, a little down the road from Granny's diner. The school bus was nearly on its way. The four children around them kept their distance, clearly intimidated by her presence. She was used to this. Their parents warned them of her, no doubt.

"What's that, dear?"

The bus stopped in front of them and opened its door. The kids ahead of Henry started to file inside. Henry turned around to face her. "Emma. Don't send her away."

"What makes you think I would do that?"

"Because of who you are." He turned away and ran to the bus, hurrying up the stairs before she could scold him.

She let out a breath, composing herself. "Have a good day, Henry."

Henry glanced over his shoulder at the top step, but said nothing. He turned away and walked further inside the bus, the doors closing then. She watched as the bus drove away, frowning.

 _I hope you don't send her away._

 _Because of who you are._

That was the expectation. Because of her past, she should have sent Emma away. And maybe she would have, if it hadn't been for the time they spent together the night before. But to tell her to leave? She was honest in telling Emma that she would hate herself for that. Because the woman she had gotten to know in the hours she had spent with her? She not only made her feel happy, but she reminded her of the person Regina used to be. Before the years of vengeful horror she had caused. Back when she was just a girl trying to make sense of her place in the world. When she was simply just Regina. And that thought was welcoming to her.

She walked over to Granny's and entered the diner. She came to counter, and Ruby took her order. She realized instantly that having Ruby take her order was a mistake, as the girl's curiosity piqued as soon as she pointed out a change in her usual order. Her facial expression and the tone of surprise in her response during their conversation gained attention of some of the customers. She could tell they were listening in and most likely picked up that she had seen someone the night before, which was exactly the last thing she wanted them to suspect when she was trying to keep her relationship with Emma a secret at the moment.

"The usual, Madam Mayor?"

"Yes, except make it two."

"Oh, so one coffee with…"

"No. Two of the same of what I order for myself."

"Oh. Coming right up then."

This wasn't the first time she'd ordered two coffees. She would order one for Graham when he would spend the night, which happened more frequently than she cared to admit, and his order wasn't the same as hers. The surprise came from the fact that this was the first time she had ordered two of the same.

"Hope you enjoy both of your coffees."

She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips. "They're not both for me." _Shit. Why the hell did you say that?_

"Oh."

Again with the "oh". Ruby already knew they weren't both for her. She was trying to arouse her. Regina practically threw the money at her and gripped the coffees tightly in her hands. "Thank you, Miss Lucas." She leaned over the counter and lowered her voice to a threatening whisper. "My business is my business. You got that, dear?"

Ruby shrank back a little, fear flashing in her eyes. "Yes, Madam Mayor."

Regina backed away with a wicked grin on her face. "Have a good day, Miss Lucas." She glared at everyone in the diner and made her way out.

As she walked back to the house, she stared guiltily at the two coffees in her hands. She had been defensive. Overreacted. She had given away that someone had spent the night with her. Someone who was not Graham. She hoped Ruby kept her mouth shut.

She also had another problem. She needed to break away from Graham, which wouldn't really be an issue, she figured. Their so called relationship had never meant anything, neither of them really ever feeling anything with each other. It was more of an on and off fling, which had all started because of her. She should have broken off the whole thing years ago, allowed Graham to move on and find someone that made him feel the way Emma made her feel.

And there was more. As much as she truly embraced having a relationship with Emma, she knew there was a long, _long_ list of things she needed to fix and attempt to make up for if she wanted to stay with her. She would have to earn trust back from everyone in town, and at some point, she would have to get approval from the two people who would most likely be the least accepting of her relationship with the blonde. After everything she had done, it seemed like a near impossible task, but for Emma, she was going to try.

 _One step at a time. Just one step at a time, Regina._

* * *

 _Storybrooke's Annual Pumpkin Weekend!_

After a short nap to regain some of the energy she had lost from the little sleep she had the previous night (although she didn't regret it!), Emma had made her way down to the kitchen. She found the newspaper lying on the table and decided to read it. _Storybrooke Daily Mirror._

It had a ring to it.

She heard the sound of the front door opening and high heels clanking against the floor. She smiled, waiting for Regina's arrival.

"Hey."

Emma peered up from the paper. "Hey, Regina." She saw the two coffees Regina was holding, and she held one out to her.

"I got you some coffee."

She put the paper down and took the coffee. "Thanks."

Regina took a seat in front of her. "How's the hangover?"

Ugh. She didn't need the reminder. The nap had helped, but the resonating headache was still there. "Bearable. I've had worse. You?"

"Same." She pointed to the paper. "Anything interesting?"

"Well, apparently Storybrooke's annual Pumpkin Weekend is coming up soon."

"Ha, yeah, that's right. It's this weekend."

Emma grinned at her. "Want to go pick out a pumpkin together?"

"So we can carve some artwork into it?"

She tried to put on a serious composure, but it was hard to keep her trembling lips from forming into a grin. "No, of course not. I was thinking we could just come back to your place and smash the shit out of it."

Regina slapped her shoulder lightly. "Seriously? Are you still drunk?"

"I don't think so!"

"Anything else besides Pumpkin Weekend?"

"Nah. That's about it. Rest of it was kind of boring." She frowned, realizing that she may have insulted Regina. _She's the mayor of Storybrooke, Emma. You should be careful of what you say about the town. You don't want to make her mad on your first day here. Or worse. Give her a reason to make you leave._ "Sorry…"

Regina didn't seem the slightest bothered by the comment. "Don't apologize. Much doesn't happen here. Pumpkin Weekend is one of the highlights of the entire year."

Emma laughed. "Sure isn't Boston."

"No, definitely not."

They sipped at their coffees for a brief moment before either of them said anything.

"I'm going to have to head to work pretty soon." Regina frowned. "Sorry."

Emma was somewhat disappointed, but she tried not to let it show. She could wait for Regina, go explore the town while she was at work. "I understand. You have a town to run, after all."

"I'm going to walk there. Take advantage of the nice weather while I can. Would you like to join me? I can give you a quick tour of the town on my way."

She held the coffee close to her lips, smiling against the Styrofoam. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Great." Regina took another sip of her coffee, lost in a sudden thought it appeared. She spoke up a minute later. "I've got to clean up the study. Almost forgot how we left it last night." She stood up.

Emma followed suit. "Let me help you."

"It's okay. I've got it."

"I made the mess, too. Besides. I left some of my things in there."

Regina smiled. "Okay."

The two made their way to the study and began to pick up their things. Emma threw on her jacket, zipping it halfway, and pulled her boots back on. She was about to go for her necklace, but she hesitated, looking at Regina's necklace. That ring… Something was pulling her toward it. The feeling of connectedness, the puzzle pieces fitting together, came back to her. The ring was certainly memorable.

She caught Regina's eyes as she bent down to pick up the empty glasses. The brunette smiled at her and disregarded the glasses, taking a few steps towards her. She picked up Emma's necklace and came behind her, pushing her hair aside gently to place the chain around her neck. Emma shivered at movement.

"There."

Emma put her hand on the pendant and looked down at the ring again. Regina walked around her and picked up her own necklace, holding it up to her. Emma's eyes shifted from the ring to Regina. She wanted her to do the same for her. She took the necklace and Regina turned around for her. She clipped the clasp and stepped away.

Regina turned around again, smiling her thanks at Emma before going back to pick up the glasses and the bottle of cider. They headed back to the kitchen, having restored the elegant atmosphere to the study. Regina immediately went over to the sink, turning on the faucet to wash the two glasses. Emma glanced around the room and saw a towel hanging from the stove handle. She grabbed it and leaned against the counter next to Regina, waiting for her to finish.

"Emma, you don't have to dry them."

"I want to."

"It's two glasses. They can air dry."

She shrugged. "I like drying dishes."

"Thanks."

"No problem." Emma's eyes fell to the dish washer, which was not too far away from them. "I see you have a dish washer."

Regina handed her one of the glasses. "Yeah, I do. Barely use it, though. I guess I just find washing dishes relaxing."

Emma dried the glass. "Don't worry. I'm the same way."

"You can just let your mind drift, you know?"

She placed the glass on the counter. "Exactly. It's peaceful."

"It is." Regina gave her the next glass and chuckled. "Except on the holidays."

"Sure." She fidgeted with the glass before drying it. "I mean, I can only imagine. I usually spend the holidays alone."

Regina turned off the faucet. "Yeah. Me too."

"My childhood… I never knew my parents. I was in and out of foster homes numerous times. I never really had a family to call my own."

Emma noticed Regina's eyes glisten a bit. "I'm sorry, Emma."

She shrugged. "It wasn't all bad. Others had it much worse than me. I do remember that there were a couple of holiday dinners when us foster kids helped out with the dishes. But I wasn't in homes too much during those times of the year." She placed the last glass on the counter, reflecting on the brunette's statement about being alone on the holidays. She hadn't expected that. She had to have family. They probably lived here. Or near town. If not, maybe they were far out. Perhaps too far out to come visit often? "You spend the holidays alone?"

Regina turned around and leaned against the sink, folding her arms across her chest. She seemed somewhat upset. Emma frowned. Family… It wasn't something Regina had stability with either. She was surprised by how much she shared in common with this woman.

"Yeah. I, um… I'm not really close to my family. At least not anymore."

"I'm sorry."

Regina shrugged. "I just feel bad for Henry. I wish he could get to know them…" The brunette turned away then, whispering something that Emma swore was, "Or not." She decided not to comment on it and instead settled on a hopeful note.

"Well, you've got me now."

Regina looked back to her. "I do. You're always welcome to spend the holidays with us. Henry would love that."

"I'm sure I could make some room in my schedule."

The holidays with Regina and Henry? Of course she could make room for it. More than anything she had wanted to have a real holiday experience. She was tired of sitting in front of her TV, gazing out the window, imagining a life where she had people to spend the holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas with. The idea of a home resonated with her. She had a home to go to on the holidays. She had that option.

Regina was blushing. She wanted it, too.

Emma smiled and picked up the glasses. "Where do these go?"

Regina pointed to the cabinet behind her. "Right behind you." She tentatively opened the cabinet door and raised the glasses to a shelf with similar ones, waiting for confirmation. "Yep, that's right." She put the glasses on the shelf and closed the cabinet door. She watched the brunette put the cider away when she suddenly remembered the towel. She hung it back over the stove handle. Regina called to her over her shoulder. "Ready to go?"

"Yep."

They picked up their coffees at the table and headed to the foyer. Regina stopped her at the front door, holding out her hand. Emma looked at it questioningly. She really wanted to hold hands on her walk? She didn't think Regina wanted to make it public yet. Why hide her from Henry this morning…?

Well, that was a different story.

 _Yeah, I never actually left your house last night. Your mom and I had sex after getting drunk. We're a thing now. Hope you're okay with it. Your two moms together._

She shook her head at the stupid thought. She realized instantly that Regina thought this meant she didn't want to hold hands, seeing the disappointment flash in her brown eyes. She quickly spoke up. "You want to hold hands in public?"

"Well… At least until we get into town. There won't be a lot of onlookers in the neighborhood."

Emma smiled and took Regina's outstretched hand with confidence. She saw her eyes soften, and the brunette gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Emma nodded towards the door. "Let's go."

They exited the house and walked down the pathway. They trekked on in silence, enjoying each other's company. Both eventually finished their coffees, discarding them on the way. Emma glanced at Regina as she threw her coffee out, earning herself a small grin.

 _Regina. Henry's adoptive mother._

 _Me. His birth mother._

It made so much sense. Both of his mothers. Together. That was what the kid needed. A true family.

 _It's what I need. It's what Regina needs._

Regina stopped before turning on to Main Street. "Well, this is it." She hesitated for a few seconds. Emma knew she didn't want to let go of her hand, but she did so anyway. "Sorry."

"It's okay." She peered around the corner, looking down Main Street. "So. This is where all the action happens."

"Yep. The busiest street in Storybrooke." The brunette nodded forward. "Come on. I'll tell you a little bit about the shops."

They took a couple of steps when Regina's phone suddenly rang. They stopped.

"Hold on. Let me take this." Regina pulled out her phone and answered it. "Hello?" Emma watched her face turn serious, then annoyed. Her tone reflected her expression as she continued. "Great. Thanks for letting me know." She hung up, sighing.

"Mayor troubles?"

"I wish. It's about Henry. He's not at school."

"I thought you dropped him off this morning."

Regina put a hand to her forehead, clearly distressed. "I did! He must have run away…"

The kid was at it again. He was still mad at his mother. She didn't understand. He couldn't keep running away just because he was trying to prove a point to her. Regina was _not_ evil. She put a hand on her arm. "Hey. Don't worry. He couldn't have gone too far now that I'm here."

"Yeah."

"I'll help you find him."

"Emma, you don't…"

"No, I will."

The brunette turned to look at her, gratitude reflected in her expression. "Thanks, Emma. Let me make a quick call to work."

"Sure."

Emma watched her as she dialed the number and stepped aside. She put her hands in her jean pockets and waited. "Yes, this is Regina Mills…"

 _Henry, why are you doing this to her? Would you be doing the same thing to me?_

Of course not. He didn't think she was evil. Rather, she was the solution to this whole "curse" problem. She was something of a hero, she guessed. But she was no hero. Just a real person trying to get through the shitty reality that life could be. She looked up and saw Regina approaching her. Well, maybe life wasn't all terrible… Now that she'd met Regina…

"Okay. Everything's settled now. So… Where to begin?"

"Did you try his friends?"

"He doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner."

Oh no. That wasn't good. The kid sounded like herself. She tried to stay positive. "Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he was close to someone, he'd be emailing them."

"And you know this how?"

"Finding people's what I do. So…" She brushed Regina's hand. "We'll have to head back to your house."

Regina took a quick look around her and then entwined her fingers with Emma's. "I don't mind one bit."

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed :) Reviews are always appreciated!_


	4. These New Beginnings

_**A/N:**_ _Hey everyone! Thank you to all of the reviews, favorites, and follows!_

 _To those who read the original, I combined parts three and four of the 1x01 rewrite. It just seemed to make more sense to me as I was writing. There were some parts that I took out from the original chapters, only because it didn't follow as well with what I did in the previous two chapters to this story._

 _Happy reading :)_

* * *

 _Chapter Three: These New Beginnings_

" _Pilot" SQ Rewrite – Part 3_

Trusty hard disk recovery utility had done the trick. After inspecting the kid's laptop, they had discovered that Henry had apparently found Emma through a website called _whosyourmomma_ , using a credit card from a woman by the name of Mary Margaret Blanchard. Emma could tell immediately that Regina had something against the woman. She looked disgusted as soon as she said her name aloud.

They were pulling up to Storybrooke Elementary in Regina's black Mercedes. Regina told her a little about who Mary Margaret was on their way to the school, but as much as the brunette tried to hide her dissatisfaction with the woman, Emma could still detect it in her expression. She hadn't met the fourth grade teacher yet, but based on what she had seen from Regina so far, she figured there had to be some type of dispute between the two that had gone on for a while now.

The bell rang as soon as they arrived to the classroom. Regina pushed past the students running out into the hallway while Emma waited for the remainder of the class to file out. A few of the kids smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back. It was a nice feeling, being acknowledged so kindly by a stranger.

Just like Regina had done last night.

That kindness had most certainly disappeared when she entered the room. She was yelling angrily at the teacher. It was like the Regina she knew had been kidnapped and replaced with a person who looked exactly like her but lacked the real woman's personality.

"You'd think I'd be here if he was? Did you give him your credit card so he can find…?" Regina, who had now noticed her arrival, glanced towards the doorway. Her expression was softening, and her voice became quiet. "Emma…"

Mary Margaret hadn't heard the whisper. "I'm sorry. Who are you?"

She looked up at the woman who Regina was so angered with, taking in her appearance. She had short, close-cropped black hair and piercing green eyes that reminded her of her own. She was petite, wearing a white dress shirt with a light beige button down sweater and a long gray skirt. The woman came across as friendly, but Emma could detect a certain spark about her, like if you pushed her far enough, she wouldn't be afraid to show her teeth. Had Regina evoked this side of her before? And what exactly was this unsettled feud between the mayor and the teacher?

She could only imagine a parent-teacher conference between the two. She might have to take Regina's place and then relay the information back to her. From the brief exchange she had witnessed, Regina would most likely be a lot more willing to hear anything Mary Margaret had to say about Henry's school performance from her over the teacher.

And suddenly, that thought made her feel uncomfortable. Did she really have any place in attending a parent-teacher conference? She was Henry's birth mother, but Regina had been the one to raise him for the ten years of his life. Regina would most certainly let her go, but how would the teacher respond? Would she end up judging her for giving Henry away? She wouldn't say anything aloud, but it would be there in her expression, she bet. That was one of the reasons why she had never told anyone that she had a kid who she had given up for adoption. Of course, Regina hadn't judged her at all and heard her out in her reasons for giving Henry up for adoption. But in that situation, Henry had blatantly announced she was his birth mother during their initial meeting, and she didn't have much of a choice but to face the possible judgment that Regina could have given her.

Emma let out a breath and glanced at Regina, who was waiting expectantly for her to answer the question Mary Margaret had asked. She struggled with her words, her thoughts making her nervous about revealing who she was to the teacher. "I'm… I'm his…" Her eyes connected with Regina's, and the brunette immediately understood. She turned back to Mary Margaret, her tone much calmer with her than it was before.

"She's Henry's birth mother."

Mary Margaret only gave her a small nod and then proceeded to go to her desk, busying herself with searching through her purse. Emma tried to ignore the awkward situation she had created and redirected her focus back to finding Henry. If Mary Margaret was looking through her purse for her credit card, then she had absolutely no idea that Henry had taken it from her. "You don't know anything about this, do you?"

"No, unfortunately not." Mary Margaret opened up her wallet and let out a sigh. "Clever boy. I should have never given him that book."

"The book," Regina said quietly, a quick hint of disapproval flashing across her face. The storybook of fairytales that Henry was so connected to was clearly worrying her, especially since she didn't seem to know about his fascination with the make-believe being real.

Emma took a few steps forward to stand next to Regina. "Must be the same book he was telling me about."

The brunette nodded. "This book, Miss Blanchard? What is it?"

"Just some old stories I gave him. As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart. So creative. And as you might be aware… _Lonely._ He needed it."

Emma frowned. She glanced at Regina, who seemed to be fighting back emotions of anger against Mary Margaret but at the same time looking somewhat guilty for possibly causing Henry's loneliness. This was now Emma's turn to save her, like she had done earlier for her when she couldn't get out the words to tell Mary Margaret who she was. She stopped herself from putting her hand on Regina's back to calm her down a bit, knowing that would be a dead giveaway that something was going on between them. "How about I take it from here?"

Regina looked back at her, and her expression suddenly relaxed. "I'll go wait outside in the hall then." She turned to leave, and neither of them spoke until she was out of the room.

"Wow. She actually listened to you."

"Does she not usually give people the time of day?"

Mary Margaret shook her head and then let out a chuckle. "Nope. She would much rather exert her authority over others than take orders from someone else."

That bit of information certainly didn't resonate well with Emma. Did Regina really treat people with disrespect on a normal basis? Did that mean she was pretending to be different around her, pretending to be someone she wasn't? It just didn't add up to her.

Maybe she was actually being her normal self around her. She didn't know how long Regina had been mayor, but maybe she felt that acting authoritative over everyone was the only way to get things done and keep the town in order. She could be afraid of showing her real personality. Maybe the thought of doing this made her feel vulnerable? Emma completely understood. Those walls shot up, protecting them from getting hurt.

"I'm sorry about all of this. I fear this is partially my fault."

"How's a book supposed to help?"

"What do you think these stories are for?"

Emma shrugged. Reading for enjoyment? Pastime for when someone was bored? She didn't know. Stories weren't something she involved herself in. She didn't want to throw herself into the fake lives of the people on the pages. It made her want what she couldn't have. More than she already desired. Reality gave her a focus. She knew what she had, what she didn't have, and how to make it by on her own.

"These stories," Mary Margaret explained, placing her purse back on her desk, "are classics. There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life."

A world that doesn't make sense… She knew the feeling too well. "I understand."

"Look, it's more than just her."

 _He may be lonely, but he doesn't know what it's like to bounce around in the foster system, always being on the run, having no one to go to for help…_

Emma was too distracted by her own thoughts to say anything. She must have portrayed confusion because Mary Margaret explained further, making it clear about who she was referring to when she said "her". Emma didn't need the clarification, though. She knew she was talking about Regina. She played along regardless.

"Miss Mills, I mean."

"Oh."

Mary Margaret shrugged. "He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with the most basic question they all inevitably face. Why would anyone give me away?"

Emma's eyes watered, and she bit her lip to stop the tears from escaping. This was exactly what she had feared. She looked down for a moment and quickly composed herself. When she looked up again, Mary Margaret began to apologize. She could tell right away that she hadn't meant to say it that way and that it was a complete accident.

"I am so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean in any way to judge you."

"It's okay."

"Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have. Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."

Emma put two and two together. The teacher knew the kid well enough. "You know where he is, don't you?"

"You might want to check his castle."

"Thank you, Mary Margaret."

She was about to turn away when the teacher called back to her.

"I didn't catch your name."

"Emma."

Mary Margaret smiled. "You're welcome, Emma. Please, keep in touch."

Emma left the classroom and found Regina standing at the end of the hallway. She could read the worry on her face. So she'd snapped at Mary Margaret because she was merely concerned about Henry. Of course that made sense. Still, the teacher had revealed that it was normal for Regina to not be so friendly with others.

Walls. That was it. Those damn walls were hardening her, making her appear hostile on the outside.

"Hey!"

Regina looked up at her apologetically. "Hey. Look, I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have snapped at her. I'm just…"

"I know. You're worried about him."

"Yeah. Um… So did you find anything else out?"

"Yeah. His castle?"

"I know what you're talking about. Let's go."

* * *

Sure enough, Henry had been at his "castle" near the sea, sitting on the wooden playground's upper level and staring glumly at the clock tower. He had been disappointed that the clock was still frozen at eight fifteen, that despite her arrival, nothing in the town had changed, and that a "final battle" had failed to begin. He begged her to stay with him for a week, give him a chance to show her that all the stories he was telling her were true, that Snow White was her mother, that her reason for giving Emma away mirrored her own for giving him away, that she was some type of savior for the people here…

That she was supposed to go up against Regina.

It made sense. She had thought about it on the drive to the playground. Henry saw Regina as some evil villain, and he told her last night it was the Evil Queen who sent all of the fairytale characters from the Enchanted Forest to the small town of Storybrooke, Maine, where none of them, except the Evil Queen herself, remembered who they were. And if anyone dared to leave, something bad would happen. If Emma had to guess, this was the Evil Queen's doing.

Regina Mills was the Evil Queen.

That was what Henry had construed. It was his coping mechanism to deal with the world around him. He insisted she didn't understand how he felt. That his life sucked. She snapped. She couldn't help herself, those feelings of abandonment coming back to her in a flood of emotions.

"Oh, you want to know what sucking is? Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway. My parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system and I had a family until I was three, but then they had their own kid so they sent me back. Look, your mom is trying her best. I know it's hard and I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you, but at least she wants you."

She was harsh, but it was true. Regina was trying her best, and it broke her heart that Henry wasn't giving her a chance. It was terrible of him to think of his mother as the Evil Queen. The scene of Regina crying the previous night came to mind as she told him those words. She couldn't stop herself from tearing up a bit. Between her memories of her past in the foster system and Regina's misery about Henry's behavior, it was all too much for her.

But of course the kid had to respond in terms of his storybook's language. Her parents hadn't left her on the side of a freeway. She had apparently traveled through space and time in a magical wardrobe and appeared in the street. Her parents wanted to save her from the Evil Queen's curse. It was sad how much he wanted her to believe it was true.

He succumbed to listening to her, though, and they walked back to Regina's house in silence. She knew the kid was in a more dismal mood than he had been before she found him at the playground.

What was worse, she had left Regina upset, too. She had wanted to come with her and talk to Henry, but Emma knew it was probably for the best that she did it alone. She didn't like hearing the sadness in her voice when she told her that.

"Maybe I should go? I'm sorry. He's probably still mad at you…"

"When he is not?"

"He'll come around, Regina."

"I hope so."

She even had to resort to sending her home. The next option Regina had offered was waiting for the two. Again, Emma didn't think that would be a good idea. The minute Henry saw the car, he would shut down. She needed him to talk to her. Fairytale nonsense or not.

"I'll wait for you two."

"You should probably go home… He will see the car eventually. He may not be as open to talk knowing that you're watching us… I'm sorry. I just think this is better. I'll meet you at home?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Hey. Give it some time. He does love you. He's just going through a phase right now."

"Thanks, Emma."

She had allowed herself to use the term "home" so openly. She had let her mind drift again, thinking of the possibility of a home with Regina and her son. She wanted it to be true. But as she had left the car and joined Henry, she realized she was thinking too far ahead again. She hadn't even spent a full day in Storybrooke, and she already wanted it to be her home. What was with this town that made her so attached? So clingy?

Henry.

And Regina.

And Mary Margaret. Despite the slip up she had made, she had been so kind to her. She could see a friendship forming between her and the teacher. It would be nice to have a friend.

And a girlfriend.

And her son.

Emma hadn't missed the pain that flashed in Regina's eyes when she had pulled Henry's storybook out of her bag. She had almost left the car without it. She remembered to retrieve it from her car before heading to the school.

"Can't forget his book."

"Yeah. His book."

Emma knew the book was bothering Regina and that Henry was letting the fairytales go to his head, but she had to remember he _was_ ten. She guessed it was okay to be imaginative. She had been at his age. However, it was pushing far past what she was used to. She had imagined her family coming back for her, them being together, living happily ever after… But she knew reality. She liked to believe the made up stories in times of misery, giving herself some… Hope, as Mary Margaret would call it. By the time she was thirteen, she whisked away all that hope. The stories, the dreams, she forced them away. Make-believe didn't resonate with her anymore. If she wanted to be happy, she needed to make her own path. Do what she felt would make her happy. And that's when the trouble started coming into play. Determined spirit, but still not thinking clearly. It was at seventeen, after she was arrested and thrown in jail, when she found out she was pregnant and truly on her own, that reality finally smacked her in the face.

And it hurt like a bitch.

Maybe the kid needed that reality sooner than she originally thought. To save him from a troubled future. From being alone.

He was already heading in the direction of loneliness.

Emma watched the kid run inside the house, not taking a minute to acknowledge his mother, who was now leaning against the doorframe with that same look of rejection she'd had the night before. It tugged at her heart. She really hated seeing her that way. She hoped that she could try to help Henry see his mother in a different light during her time there.

"Thank you, Emma."

Emma stopped a few feet away from her. "No problem."

"He seems to have taken quite a shine to you."

She gave a small nod and was quiet as she thought for a moment, a sudden realization coming to her. "You know, it seems kind of crazy…"

Regina laughed at her words. "Crazy seems to be our thing lately."

"You're right… As you know, yesterday was my birthday, and… When I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn't have to be alone on my birthday." She glanced down at the ground. "It was the same birthday wish I've been making every year. Because every year, I've been alone on my birthday." She looked back up at Regina, whose brown eyes portrayed her understanding of that loneliness. Of how much it sucked. "But when I blew out the candle this time, my wish was answered. In more than one way." She took a step closer to Regina, and the brunette smiled in response. "First, Henry showed up." She took hold Regina's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Then he brought me to you. You two gave me the best birthday I could have ever asked for."

"I'm glad we could make it so special for you."

Emma gazed into Regina's eyes, her looking into her green ones, and she smiled a genuine, happy smile. The brunette broke away from her gaze, looked down at their joined hands, and said her name softly.

"Emma…" She met her green eyes again. "Let all of this be an invitation back into his life."

"Oh?"

"I'm serious. I know that you made a decision ten years ago. And I know that in the last decade, while you've been going about your life, I've changed every diaper, soothed every fever, endured every tantrum. You gave birth to him, and I adopted him." Regina squeezed her hands lightly. "You asked for a closed adoption, but that doesn't change the fact that Henry is _our_ son. I want you to get to know him. I want you back in his life."

 _Our son._

She liked how that sounded.

A big smile appeared on her face. "Really?"

Regina nodded. "Really. I know you've only been here one day, but I think you've taken a shine to him as well."

She hadn't spent that much time with him, but Regina was right. She enjoyed sitting next to Henry in his castle, driving along with him in her Bug as they traveled to Maine, his smile at her door when he said he was her son. And now, she would be able to have more of these moments with him.

"So… Stay in Storybrooke for a while?"

"Did you ever doubt I would?"

Regina grinned and then let go of her hands. "You remember Granny's Bed and Breakfast, up on Main Street?" She pointed to the right of her, in the general direction of the place. "We passed it earlier today."

Emma could picture the B&B. It was right next to the diner. She nodded.

"You can stay there. I'd have you stay with me, but…."

Again, it would be rather awkward for her to suddenly "warm up" to Regina after one day there. She could only imagine Henry's reaction. He was intuitive enough. Regina offering Emma to stay with her would set off alarms in the kid's head. He would probably think it was a trick, all a part of some villainous plot on Regina's end. If the two started acting kind around one another, he may pick up something else entirely.

 _You like my mom? My mom likes you?_

 _Yep, kid. We like each other._

"I understand." She shoved her hands in her jean pockets, kicked at the ground, and then took a few steps backward. "So… I'll see you around, then?"

"Of course. You know where to find me."

Emma nodded and turned around, beginning her trek down the pathway. It wasn't long before Regina called her back again.

"Emma, wait."

She turned around and walked back to her. Regina was holding Daniel's ring in her hand, close to her lips, and then she reached to undo the clasp of the necklace, holding it out to her. The one item that meant so much to the brunette… She was giving it to her. "I want you to have this. It'll look nice with your swan necklace."

"I couldn't… It means something to you."

"Exactly." Regina took her hand and placed it in her palm. "Happy birthday, Emma."

"Thanks, Regina."

As she put on the necklace and fixed the ring to align with the swan pendant, she saw Regina's smile grow wide. It was a perfect fit. Regina's silver chain was smaller than hers, and the ring hung just above the swan pendant. Puzzle pieces matched. She looked back up at Regina.

"Consider it as my way of saying thanks. For everything you've done for me since coming here."

"I've only been here for a day."

"I know. Sometimes it's the smallest of things that do the greatest of wonders."

Emma played with the ring nervously. "Thanks again."

"No problem, dear. Come by tonight? After you've settled down, of course."

"I'll be here."

"We can celebrate your birthday. Something simple."

"You don't have to do that, Regina."

"I want to."

Emma couldn't argue with that. Spending another night with the brunette was something she wanted to do, regardless of whether or not they celebrated her birthday.

"11:30 sound good?"

Emma nodded. "That'll work."

"I'll see you then."

"See you."

She took a few tentative steps backward, wondering if Regina would say something more. The brunette just stared at her, the smile on her face never faltering. She put her hands back in her jean pockets, nodded, and then turned around, this time making it to the end of the pathway.

Birch Street.

She still remembered where she had parked the VW that morning.

She stopped.

One more glance?

* * *

Emma was almost at the end of the pathway when she decided to make her way back to the door, leaning against it one more time to think over the conversation she'd had with the blonde.

She had convinced Emma to stay. Although it didn't seem she had needed much convincing, at least not according to how she had responded after asking her if she would stay for a while.

 _Did you ever doubt I would?_

Emma wanted to stay. And now she was. For the first time in more than twenty eight years, she would get the chance to have something with someone again.

She smiled as she remembered how much Emma's face had lit up when she told her she wanted her back in Henry's life. When she said he was _their_ son.

Their son.

Her smile grew wider.

Emma had been surprised that she had given her the necklace with Daniel's ring, but she had done it purposefully. Daniel had given the ring to her because she meant something to him, and she had held on to it for all of these years because he meant a great deal to her. And now she wanted Emma to know the same. She wasn't sure she could put it all to words about how much she meant to her yet, but giving her that piece of jewelry was the start.

The start of a new path for herself.

Regina heard Henry running through the foyer, and he joined her outside. She placed her hand on his head and gently brushed his hair.

"You've sent her away."

"No, dear. I've told her to stay."

"What? You want her to stay?"

"Well, it wouldn't be very nice of me to demand her to leave, would it?"

"No…" She was surprised when Henry started to wave, and she followed Henry's gaze to see that Emma had stopped at the end of the pathway to steal one last glance of her. Regina smiled. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't stop from being apart. She nodded to her as a subtle goodbye, and Emma instantly beamed. The blonde then raised her hand to wave at Henry before turning to leave for good this time.

11:30 couldn't come soon enough.

"Well, I'm going to go work on my homework now."

Regina chuckled at his randomness. "Okay, Henry." She waited for him to go inside, listening to his footsteps becoming fainter as each second passed. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "See you tonight, Emma."

 _Tonight._

 _11:30._

Regina turned on her heel and closed the door behind her, smiling to herself.

 _And here's to more 11:30s to come._

* * *

 _Why is my mom humming as she washes the dishes? She never does that. Why is she so happy? Shouldn't she be threatened by Emma's presence here? Shouldn't she have told her to leave?_

Henry didn't get it. Something didn't seem right about it. The Evil Queen wouldn't be this happy when her number one enemy was staying in town. He peered further into the kitchen, trying to catch the tune, seeing if it sounded recognizable. He couldn't pick it up, though.

Regina made a slight movement as if to turn around, and Henry quickly strode away from the room, making it to the stairs without being caught. He glanced into the study, its door ajar, and read the time. _8:12pm!_ He had to hurry.

He ran up the stairs and down the hallway to his bedroom. Just as he arrived at the window and cast one glance over his shoulder, he saw it was 8:15. It was almost time. He pulled up the chair from his desk, folded his arms on the window sill and rested his head on them, and gazed out at the clock tower peeking above the many rooftops of Storybrooke.

One minute later.

"Come on."

The minute hand moved.

It was 8:16. Finally! Time was no longer frozen. The final battle was to begin.

Henry smiled.

* * *

11:15pm.

This was way earlier than she had intended on showing up. In her defense, she had walked to Regina's house to not give anything away, and she hadn't known how long it would take to get there on foot. She stood by one of the hedges in front of the house, glancing around nervously and playing with the necklace Regina gave her earlier. She figured she should wait another five minutes. She began to pace. She tried to put herself at ease by thinking about her confrontation with the owner of the B&B and her granddaughter, she guessed.

The grandmother and the girl had been arguing as she entered. Something about moving to Boston and how a heart attack stopped the girl—and she was quoting this from the girl's grandmother—from "sleeping her way down the eastern seaboard". What a loving relationship.

It was still more than what she had.

When Emma had asked for a room, the grandmother's eyes lit up. She was overly ecstatic. She was offered a forest view or a square view. An additional upgrade fee for the square, but she said she would wave it. So why not? She was feeling in the mood and went with the square view.

That wasn't the most interesting moment. A very suspicious man had approached the three of them, leaning on his cane for support as he smiled up at Emma and said, "Emma. What a lovely name."

Mr. Gold was his name. The grandmother had given him an envelope filled with money. A ton of it. The rent, maybe? But still… There had been a lot of money there. Something wasn't right. Not only that, but the grandmother's and girl's previous demeanors changed to ones of instant fear as he spoke. Emma immediately knew not to trust the guy. Apparently he held so much power that he owned the entire town of Storybrooke.

Guess that meant he surpassed Regina on the totem pole.

She glanced down at her phone. _11:20pm._ Okay. That wasn't too early now. She let out a breath and made her way to the door, looking up to see the light in Henry's room was off. She relaxed a bit.

Just as she stepped in front of the door, it opened.

"Hey…"

Regina smiled. "I figured you might be early." She chuckled. "Or you could say that I've been waiting around anxiously for you since 11."

"So 11:30 really means 11?"

The brunette shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe?"

"You're cute."

She laughed nervously.

"Don't worry. I've been giddy all night, too." Emma put her hands in her jean pockets, looked down at the ground, and rocked on her heels. "I…" She looked back up at Regina. "Couldn't wait to see you."

"Me neither." She laughed again. "Honestly, you don't want to know how many times I peered out the window. I've been pacing the foyer since 11."

Emma was taken back to her room. She had probably driven someone nuts with all of the times she had crossed the length of the room. "I was pacing my room for a good fifteen minutes before I left the B&B. And then I was pacing outside your yard for another five minutes before walking up the pathway."

Regina leaned against the doorframe and folded her arms across her chest. "We're ridiculous."

"We sure are."

"Well, let's stop being ridiculous then." The brunette nodded behind her, and Emma walked inside, hearing her close the door. She took a few steps ahead of her. "Follow me."

Regina guided her back to the study, where they sat down on the couch facing the fireplace. The fireplace was lit, just as it had been the night before. Emma noticed some photo albums laying on the coffee table, along with a bottle of wine, two empty wine glasses, a small cake, two plates, and silverware for the both of them. She looked at Regina, who let out a nervous breath. The brunette then turned to look at her and smiled. They had spent one full day together, had learned so much about each other, and yet it was like they were meeting for the first time.

But Regina didn't need an invitation to sit next to her.

She knew the brunette felt the same way about her.

And she could be a part of Henry's life.

They were in the same room, but so much had changed since arriving at the house on Mifflin Street yesterday night. Emma had taken a chance and so had Regina. She was thankful for that. For once in her life, things seemed to be falling into place. She let her mind wander for a moment to the future. And this time, it was a bright one, where she wasn't afraid of the uncertainty and her heart was no longer broken.

* * *

The nerves were finally easing away as she settled down on the couch next to Emma. Seeing that necklace around the blonde's neck, hanging so perfectly with her own, brought upon a calmness to Regina. At dinner, she had been completely fine. Henry had been particularly talkative that night despite the earlier hostility, and she knew it was because she had requested that Emma stay in town. He filled her in about the birdhouse he planned to make when he _did_ go to school tomorrow (to which he promised he would not skip again), and she didn't once let her thoughts wander to the teacher behind the idea. He explained to her about a new comic book he had started to read, claiming it was his new favorite. He even expressed his excitement about getting to know Emma. He was hesitant at first, trying to interpret her feelings about Emma, and when she had smiled without thinking, he continued.

It was silly, really, to be so nervous about the upcoming evening with Emma, especially after spending the previous night and the majority of the day with her. She was acting like it was their first date out together as a couple (and perhaps, it could be considered that, minus being out on a date together in public). It was a good kind of anxious, though, mixed with her excitement to see Emma again. It was nice to have someone who made her feel that way back in her life again.

For the first time in twenty eight years, she had hummed a tune as she washed the dishes after dinner. It was a lullaby, one her and her father would sing together in the middle of the night when she'd had a bad nightmare as a child. It came so easily, so effortlessly, back to her mind. Ever since his death, she hadn't had the courage to sing it, let alone speak the words. That night was different.

 _Daddy._

 _I met someone. Someone who is supposed to be my undoing._

 _Her name is Emma. She's Henry's birth mother._

 _She's really lovely, Daddy. I know you'd like her._

Regina had to stop for a moment when her mother's face flashed in her mind. The disapproving look she would receive from her whenever she was disappointed with her.

Had her mother been around, she knew she would have made her dissatisfaction clear with her. She may have even done everything in her power to stop her relationship with Emma. She would insist that she knew what was best for her, that she was doing her a favor. But Regina had heard that enough times from her. She wouldn't have let her mother try to control her life once more.

Her father would have reacted differently. He would have been happy for her. Unlike her mother, it wouldn't have mattered to him who Emma was. If Emma truly made her happy, then that was what counted. She knew because he had spoken that message to her when she was a teenager, trying to make sense of growing feelings she had for her closest friend. He had told her to always listen to her heart, as it would tell her the right thing to do.

Well, that was what she was doing now.

"Thought we could have something different tonight." Regina raised an eyebrow at Emma as she said her next words, thinking back to their previous night together and the annoying hangover from earlier. "Not too much, though."

"I'm definitely okay with that."

She looked down at the cake. When Emma and Henry had been together at his "castle", she had taken the opportunity to make a quick stop at the grocery store, picking up the ingredients she needed to make it. Once she knew Henry was in bed and asleep, she had decided to test her luck. She wasn't a terrible cook, but desserts were not exactly her specialty. Henry had made that known to her a few times. It was always the facial expressions that gave it away.

"Mom, this is… Good…"

All the while, he would be contorting his face into a forced look of gratitude as he swallowed with difficulty. She would find herself shaking her head and take the plate away. He always apologized, and she always accepted it sincerely. After he would leave, she'd eat it herself and decide if it was really all that bad. Usually it was fifty-fifty. Anything with apples would be a winner. Henry even liked those recipes. That was until recently, after he had received that damn book.

Mary Margaret…

 _Regina, no. This isn't the time to get angry with the woman._

If she could forget about her during dinner, she could forget about her now. She smiled at Emma, and the slight anger instantly disappeared.

"I hope the cake turned out okay. I'm not the best cook… Unless it involves apples, of course."

This got a surprised reaction from the blonde. "You have a thing for apples?"

"I suppose so." Regina shrugged. "What can I say? They're delicious."

Emma put out a hand. "Wait. Doesn't the Evil Queen from the Snow White fairytale have a thing for apples, too?"

Sure, the blonde's tone was amused. But the comment penetrated her. She felt her chest tighten. "Yeah…"

"Maybe Henry's fairytale thing isn't so crazy after all."

Shit. Had she really put two and two together that easily? Regina turned away and stared into the flames in the fireplace, unable to avoid the edginess in her tone as she opened her mouth to ask the question. "Whatever do you mean?"

"He's just associating details from his life with those from the stories. Coincidental, sure. But you're not the only one in the world who likes apples."

Regina blinked away from the burning light of the fire and looked back at her, easing up a bit. "Yes. That's right."

Emma glanced down at the cake. "Thank you for the cake, Regina. I'm sure it tastes lovely."

Her muscles relaxed more, and she smiled at the blonde. "You're quite welcome, Emma." She pointed at the three photo albums strewn across the coffee table. "I thought you would like to see some of the pictures I've taken of Henry throughout the years. Make up for lost time?"

Emma nodded briskly. "I'd love to."

Regina reached for an album and opened it. The first couple of photos were of Henry when he was a little over a month old, only weeks after she had adopted him. She heard Emma gasp. She turned to the blonde, seeing her put a hand to her mouth, tears forming in her eyes as her other hand flipped to the next page, revealing more baby pictures of him. Regina frowned, realizing that this may have been a bad idea, striking a painful cord in Emma's heart. She put her arm around her. "I'm sorry, dear. I should have thought…"

But Emma shook her head. "No. Thank you." She gave her a kiss. "I knew before I had him that I was going to give him up for adoption. I… I chose not to hold him after I'd given birth to him. I didn't even look at him. I just couldn't… Even after the doctor told me I could still change my mind, that I could keep him, I refused."

Regina rubbed her back gently, making comforting circles with her hand as she waited for the blonde to continue.

"I'm glad you showed me this. I spent so many years trying to forget that day so I wouldn't be reminded of how I felt for giving him away."

Regina had wondered about the mother when she first adopted Henry. Was she loving? Did she want the child? Did she give him up because she had to? Because she couldn't take care of him? Because he had no place in her life? She had imagined Emma differently in those first few weeks, believing that the mother of the child simply did not want him. Did not love him. She soon realized that was an absurd thought, that there had to be more to it than that. Even to this day, she had still felt uncertain about the whole situation. Now, she knew. Emma Swan did not want to give her child away. Giving Henry his best chance or not, she would have done everything she could have to take care of him had she had the resources to do so.

"You didn't want to give him away, did you?"

"No. I loved him the minute I knew I was having him. But at the time, I was only seventeen. I wasn't ready to be a mother. I was lucky I could take care of myself…" Emma turned to Regina. "Like I told you before, I wanted to give him his best chance. Despite how much it hurt to give him away. And of course I never wanted to forget him. But I started to… I got buried in my work, just trying to make it by…" She looked away, suddenly embarrassed. "I'm a bail bondsperson, Regina. My life is risky. Always unpredictable. I wouldn't have been able to give Henry a good life on the salary I make. Or even provide him a safe one."

That was a piece of information Regina hadn't known. It made perfect sense, though, since she claimed finding people was her thing.

Emma had mustered the courage to look back at her again. "He told me he understood today, though. Why I gave him up."

"Oh?"

"When we were sitting together in his castle, he told me that he wasn't upset. He knew I wanted to give him his best chance." The blonde giggled. "Back to the fairytales again. Apparently Snow White is my mother, and she gave me up for the same reason. To save me from the curse." She shook her head. "That's why I was found on the side of a freeway as a baby. It's where I went through this wardrobe thing."

Regina shifted her gaze to her hands resting in her lap. Emma was laughing to herself, finding the whole story comedic and nonsensical. Regina wished it wasn't true, but everything Henry had told her had actually happened. No matter what she did, she couldn't change that past. She took a deep breath and composed herself, forcing a smile as she looked back at her. "Well… The boy sure has a clever imagination."

"He really does."

She needed a drink. Something to get the edge off. She turned to the wine bottle and began to pour the liquid into their glasses. "Like to try the cake?"

"Yes, please."

Regina busied herself with cutting two pieces from the cake and placing them on the plates. When she was done, she handed her a plate and a fork. "Enjoy."

Emma smiled and took a bite of the cake. Regina held her breath, hoping for a positive reaction. _Please don't pull a Henry. Please. I need some reassurance that I won't kill someone by dessert._

"This is great, Regina!"

It seemed genuine, and there was no face contorting going on. Still, she erred on the side of caution. "Please. You're just saying that."

"No, Regina. Really, it's wonderful."

She felt her cheeks go warm. "Thanks."

Emma pointed her fork at the plate in her lap. "Try it!"

"Okay." So she did and…

"Well?"

"You're right… It's actually not that bad." She laughed. "I surprised myself."

Sixty-fifty? A ten percent boost for making delicious desserts? Why not!

"Not such a bad cook, now are you?"

"I guess not!"

They laughed and went for the wine. They continued to look through the photo album, Regina detailing the stories of each picture and Emma flipping the pages as she listened. Regina knew she was becoming very animated as time passed on. She never remembered talking with her hands so much. She felt like Henry at the dinner table that evening. She had never had anyone to talk to about the photos, someone who would listen so attentively, a person who even cared to hear her speak for more than five minutes. Not since she had come to this world.

 _Daddy? Daniel?_

 _I don't feel so lonely anymore._

 _Henry helped bring me back to life._

 _And Emma? I think she's helping me discover who I was before…_

 _Well, you know._

 _I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry, Daniel. I hope you two can find it in you to forgive me._

Emma was now laying against her, resting her head on her chest as she rubbed the top of her head. A new photo album was opened in her lap, and they were almost to the end of it. Regina could tell Emma was fighting to keep her eyes open, and even she felt the words coming out of her mouth were less lively. She yawned and glanced at the clock above the fireplace. It was definitely later than she had expected.

"Oh my. It's nearly 2:30."

Emma raised her head a little to see the clock. "I guess it is. No wonder why I'm getting so tired."

Regina closed the photo album. "I think that's enough for tonight."

"Yes. I'm ready for bed." She snuggled up against her, closing her eyes.

Regina smiled. The childish behavior, it was absolutely adorable. She brushed her fingertips along her eyebrows, then her eyelids.

And the blonde acted more childlike. In a whiny voice, she said, "Stop it! You're making me more tired."

"Oh? I thought you would have appreciated it."

"I do, but…" Emma reached up blindly, eventually finding her hands and clutching them. "Let's go to bed, Regina."

"Okay, Emma."

They sat up from the couch, and Regina surveyed the study.

"Let me clean up really quick. Bring the glasses and such to the kitchen at least."

Emma looked around the room as well. "I'll help you."

The photo albums were put back into place on the bookshelf, and the wine bottle, empty glasses, plates, and silverware found their way back to the kitchen. The cake had been so good that the both of them had finished it. Regina was overjoyed by this and acquired some newfound confidence in the baking department. She could make another dessert for Emma, but what?

Apples, she decided. It had to be something with apples.

After turning off all of the lights, Regina and Emma walked hand in hand to the bedroom. They stood for a moment once in the room, gazing into each other's eyes, before separating. Emma fell on to the bed, intent on sleeping right away. Regina laughed to herself as she opened a dresser drawer, pulling out two pairs of pajamas.

As soon as she approached, Emma's eyes flashed open. She held out the clothes to her. "Here. You can wear these tonight. I'm sure we're relatively the same size."

The blonde sat up. "It's okay, Regina. I can just wear what I have on."

Regina gave her a disbelieving look. "You are not going to wear jeans to bed, Emma."

Emma pouted. "But I'm lazy."

 _Oh, the woman's childlike behavior!_ Still, it didn't bother her. It was quite amusing. She threw the clothes at her. "Put them on."

"Demanding. I like."

"You're ridiculous."

Cue the sing song voice. "But you like it!"

 _I do._

The two changed quickly and crawled into bed. They stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, enjoying the silence.

Nearly a day ago, it had only been her and Henry. Now, it was her, Henry, and Emma. She wondered if maybe it had been all wrong, that Emma's arrival on her twenty eighth birthday was never meant to signify her demise. Rather, maybe Emma was as much as a saving grace to her as she was destined to be for everyone else in Storybrooke. She would help her find the good in herself once again, help her realize the person she wanted to be.

"Regina?"

She turned her head to look at her. "Yes?"

"Thanks for all of this."

"You're welcome." Her eyes lingered to the two necklaces Emma was wearing. Ring and swan. Swan and ring. She touched the pendants, Emma smiling a mile a minute. "They do look nice together."

"They do. Thank you."

She pulled her hand away, resting it on the covers between the two, and they resumed to staring at the ceiling. Her mind began to drift, an imaginary pen writing along the bare surface above her.

 _Once upon a time…_

Emma's hand met hers. Regina glanced away from the ceiling and to the blonde, the written words fading into the night. She smiled and squeezed her hand in return.

 _It doesn't matter that she's the Savior._

 _It doesn't matter that I'm the Evil Queen._

 _I can change. I_ want _to change._

 _And this? Her hand in mine?_

 _It feels right._

 _With her, everything just feels right._

Emma let go of her hand and moved closer to her, laying on her side. She gave her one last smile before tucking her hands beneath her head and closing her eyes. She looked so peaceful.

Regina leaned towards her and pressed her lips against her forehead.

"Goodnight, Emma."

"Goodnight, Regina."

She fell back to her pillow, turning on her side so she could face Emma. The blonde was out within minutes, and she watched her sleep a little while longer before she closed her eyes.

Regina had made up her mind.

 _I am going to make things right._

 _This time, I am going to do the right thing._

* * *

 _That concludes the 1x01 rewrite. Hope you enjoyed! Now onto 1x02…_


	5. Feelings of Magic

_**A/N:** Hi everyone! I know it's been some time since I've updated... I apologize for that. I have been really busy with my internship, and it's been hard to find time to write this. I hope the length of this chapter makes up for the wait, though! It's my longest chapter yet. Part of this chapter will look very familiar to Chapter 6 in "The First Step" but most of what's written in here is new. Lots of Emma/Regina/Henry moments. This chapter doesn't jump directly into 1x02 events, but it's slowly building into it. _

_Hope you enjoy :)_

* * *

 _Chapter Four: Feelings of Magic_

 _"The Thing You Love Most" SQ Rewrite – Part 1_

Their wedding. Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding. It played mockingly on the insides of her eyelids like the first grand showing of a new movie.

 _Sorry I'm late._

Snow drawing her husband's sword as she swiftly crossed the room to the couple and threw the guards aside with her magic. Her saying she was an evil witch. Charming lowering the sword, declaring she had already lost and would be unable to ruin their wedding. Yawn. His speech was boring. So pathetic. She had the upper hand still.

 _Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything. On the contrary, dear. I've come to give you a gift._

Snow didn't want it. Why would she have? A gift from the Evil Queen? To the two people she despised the most? It certainly could not be trusted. But she didn't care. She hadn't come here to earn anyone's trust.

 _But you shall have it. My gift to you is this happy,_ happy _day. For tomorrow, my real work begins. You've made your vows. Now I make mine. Soon, everything you love… Everything_ all _of you love… Will be taken from you. Forever. And out of your suffering will rise my victory._

The greatest weight of it all dropped with her last two sentences. Fire burned in her brown orbs.

 _I shall destroy your happiness. If it is the last thing I do._

She turned around rather quickly, then stopped at what should have been Prince Charming's call. The _hey_ that echoed back at her didn't come from his mouth, though. Instead, the word came from a beautiful, blonde-haired woman standing in front of her at the doors she burst through moments ago. And she wasn't sporting her usual attire. She was wearing a gorgeous, sparkling green dress that matched her radiant eyes. Her blonde curls were pulled back into a braided bun. Two necklaces hung around her neck. Swan pendant and her former love's ring. Daniel's ring.

 _Hey._

Her voice. It was so calm. So sweet. So reassuring.

She let out a shaky breath. Why was she here? Hell, she wasn't even a thought in the minds of her parents. How could she be here?

 _Emma?_

The blonde reached out for her hand, grabbing it, squeezing it gently. Her green eyes met her gaze. The crowd around her blurred. They remained in the Charmings' castle, in the same ceremonious room, but none of the people there mattered anymore. Except for her.

 _It's okay, Regina. It doesn't have to be this way._

No. How could she say that? How?

 _But I…_

 _You will find your happiness. I promise. Just don't go through with this._

Her eyes fell to the ring. She put out her free hand and touched the object, running her fingertips across the precious metal.

 _Things can be right again, Regina. You just have to make that choice. Do not go through with this curse._

She pulled her hand away and looked up at the blonde, shaking her head fiercely. She hated herself. But it had to be done. Snow _had_ to pay. She deserved to suffer for the pain and misery she had put her through. Still, the glowing fire of revenge in her brown eyes had gradually become extinguished by the forming tears of regret. The right choice was never easy. She couldn't bring herself to choose it. Not even for her.

 _I can't, Emma. I'm sorry. This is the only way to get my happy ending._

Her green eyes mirrored her own. It tugged at her heart.

 _But I'm your happy ending. Can't you do this for me? Please, don't make my parents pay the price. Please._

It was killing her. She tried to push old feelings aside, wanting nothing more than the blonde to be happy. She gave her a small, hesitant smile and felt her head tip forward in the beginnings of a nod. Maybe she could start fresh. Mend the wounds of the past. The blonde smiled back at her, tears rolling down her cheeks.

 _Thank you, Regina. Thank you._

She found the strength to glance behind her shoulder and look back at the newlyweds. She imagined them exchanging their vows, beaming at each other as they awaited their first kiss as husband and wife. She imagined the blonde standing next to her parents, all three of them smiling and laughing. Snow and Charming suddenly looked up at her, talking to her, thanking her. It felt so real. She wanted it to be real.

Her eyes locked with Snow's. And then the old memories came flooding back, suffocating her.

Daniel. Her words to Snow. _Love_ , true _love, is_ magic. Snow promising never to tell her mother about Daniel, but failing to keep the promise nevertheless. His heart, beating in her mother's hands as she tightened her grip around it. Him falling to the floor. Her true love dying because little Snow White couldn't keep her mouth shut. She came back to the room, feeling sickened by the couple and seeing them so very, _very_ happy. She turned back to the blonde. Her lips curled into a frown.

 _I'm sorry, dear. You don't understand. I have to enact this curse._

The blonde tilted her head slightly, disappointment washing over her face. She let go of her hand and backed away.

 _You're not just ruining their lives. Or everyone else's lives in this room._

Her heart began to pound. She felt her palms go sweaty.

 _You don't know the future like I do. You will regret what you did._

She already did. She needed an out, needed to leave before it all became too overwhelming. She closed her eyes, picturing herself at her own castle. But the magic didn't work. She remained in the room. She dared to open her eyes and met harsh words that hit her like a blow to the face.

 _You will ruin my life, and your son's life._ Our _son's life._

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

 _Enjoy your miserable life, Evil Queen. Because you will_ never _get your happy ending._

The blonde turned on her heel and marched towards the door. She put out her hand, trying to stop her with magic, but only words could do such power at the time.

 _Emma! Wait!_

The blonde stopped, glancing at her briefly, a wicked grin forming upon her lips. It was too late when she found out the reason behind the grin. She turned around quickly, seeing the sword from Charming's hand coming at her. The tip was nearly inches from her heart…

Regina awoke with a jolt. She put a hand to her chest, finding it unscathed. It was just a dream. Only a dream.

Well, that was partially a lie. The dream was very real and the reason why this town existed. Why Emma's life had been so terrible. The day had happened nearly twenty eight years ago. Emma hadn't been there, but she wished she could have. Maybe things would have been different.

Too bad the Savior wasn't born yet.

Regina turned her head, expecting to see the blonde sleeping peacefully like she had last night. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the space next to her was empty. "Emma…"

"Good morning, sunshine."

"Emma."

She smiled. Regina noticed she had changed back into her own clothes and was now pulling the white tank top over her head. "Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes for the night." She signaled to a neatly folded pile on the edge of the bed.

Regina glanced at the outfit and then back up at her, a frown on her face. "Where are you going?"

"I have to head back to the B&B."

She looked over her shoulder, reading the time off the clock on the nightstand, and turned back to her. "It's only 5:45. Henry doesn't have to go to school for another two hours."

"I know. But I should be at the B&B."

She was brought back to her dream. Emma marching to the door. Her wicked grin. The sword nearly piercing her heart. She sat up, pulling the covers tighter around her, feeling herself rock slightly. The blonde sensed her uneasiness, leaning down to her and giving her lips a quick peck. "Don't worry. I'll be back."

As she backed away, her eyes caught sight of the two necklaces. Again, she saw flashes of her dream. The dazzling green dress. Her braided hair pulled back. Reaching out to touch Daniel's ring. She gave Emma a weak smile.

Emma threw on her gray long sleeve, hiding the necklaces. Regina relaxed a bit, watching the blonde pick up her leather jacket.

"Any suggestions for breakfast?"

"The one and only Granny's diner."

"Ah, I should have guessed."

"I'd be more than happy to join you before heading to work."

Emma put her hands on her hips, seemingly worried about her suggestion. "Are you sure?"

"I go there every morning for coffee. No one will suspect a thing."

Except Ruby and the others in the diner yesterday. The customers hadn't heard the majority of the conversation, so she highly doubted any of them would make a big deal about her walking in with Emma. After her tense encounter with Ruby, she wondered if the waitress would be able to sniff out the relationship. Literally. Well, the curse made that part impossible. Still, she didn't know if Ruby guessed that she had slept with someone other than Graham or if she was just trying to perform a kind gesture to a new guest. However, she only ever ordered two coffees when Graham spent the night…

 _Damn it, Regina. You screwed that one up._

She would have to resort to the order she made when she had a night fling with Graham. She would take the black coffee and give Emma her usual order. She could live with dull coffee for one morning.

Emma was grinning. "Okay. I'll see you at…"

"8:15."

"Exactly. For coffee."

Regina nodded, laughing slightly.

Emma made her way to the bedroom door, hesitating with the knob, brushing her fingertips along it. She turned to look back at her. "Thank you again, Regina. For last night."

"You're welcome, dear."

"Keep calling me that."

"Hm?"

"Dear. I like when you call me that."

"Okay. I'll make sure to remember that."

She looked down, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red. She stayed like that for a few seconds and then left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Regina closed her eyes again, letting the image of Emma blushing linger in her mind. It soon contrasted with the blonde's wicked grin at her, and her eyes flashed open. She decided to stay awake and start her day. There was no way she was drifting off to sleep again that morning.

She threw the covers aside and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking over her work schedule for the day. Something else gnawed at her, something that had caused her great worry whenever it was mentioned.

Henry's book.

First, Emma.

Then, Mary Margaret.

She knew what she was going to do in the meantime. She had to find out how much of the real story that book recounted.

She crept down the hallway and quietly entered Henry's bedroom, scanning its entirety until she found it. It was sitting so nicely on the edge of his bed, tempting her. It was as if it was just waiting for her to come take it. Henry was sleeping with his back toward her, and she picked up the storybook carefully, silently. She came back to the door, watching him. He hadn't even stirred. She exited the room, letting out a sigh of relief when she arrived back in her own room.

Regina sat down on the bed and flipped through the pages. Phrases popped out at her, the pictures bringing the memories to life.

The wild steed. Snow White as a child. An arranged marriage. Daniel…

Mother killing him by crushing his heart. All because Snow had let her secret slip.

She read further, coming to Prince Charming and Snow White's story of falling in love at the Troll Bridge. A few days ago, the story would have reignited the flame of pure hatred she had for the two. But now, all she was left with were mixed feelings of old resentment and newfound regret.

The wedding came soon afterward, bringing back to life the nightmare she had recently.

 _Why?_

 _Why did I let myself take it that far?_

She shook her head and flipped ahead.

 _I was blinded by hate. Simple as that. And now here I am, years later, with their daughter._

 _Will they ever forgive me for what I did? Will Emma?_

And finally, what should have been the day the curse swept over the kingdom. But the pages were missing, clearly ripped out. She shouldn't have been surprised.

She sighed.

 _Will Henry be able to forgive me?_

Regina closed the book.

She was going to change. She had made that decision last night. She was ready to leave behind her villainous past and make up for all of the terrible things she had done. And she was done with the curse. She would break it. Or at least help Emma break it, if it turned out the blonde was really the only person who could.

She knew it wasn't going to be an easy road, but she had accepted that. She wasn't looking for an easy way to fix things. She wanted to do it the right way.

There were things she hadn't considered before.

What if, after the curse broke, no one believed in her to change?

And worst of all.

What if Emma didn't want her anymore? What if she no longer wanted that future with her?

She would lose everything.

But if she didn't at least try, she would never know what her life could be like if the town did believe in her to change. If Emma wanted to stay with her.

She could have the life she had always dreamed of.

A simple one. Spending everyday with the people she could call her family.

And that was enough for her to take the chance.

She had a lot work ahead of her. An operation of sorts, as Henry would call it.

Regina stood up from the bed and headed back out into the hallway.

And the first step? Returning the storybook to Henry without him noticing she had taken it in the first place. He would be needing it, after all, if he was to help Emma into believing the curse and the fairytales were true.

She quietly and gently placed the book back on to his bed where she had found it.

He still didn't stir.

She made her way out of his bedroom, a new thought in her mind.

 _How am_ I _going to help Emma believe?_

* * *

Emma smiled up at the clock tower as its morning bell chimed loudly above Main Street. _8:15am._ She stepped away from the VW and strode to the diner, looking down at the sidewalk briefly. Just as she was about to look up again, she collided with someone, bumping into their shoulder.

"I'm so sorry…"

She relaxed when she saw who was standing in front of her. _Regina. Right on time._ The brunette was smiling at her. "It's alright. I did it on purpose." She pointed to the clock tower.

"So you heard it, too?"

Regina nodded.

"Henry told me it hasn't worked his whole life."

"You heard right. It has served as a… Nice reminder." There was a hint of remorse in her tone, like the noise brought up old memories she cared not to recall. It disappeared quickly, though, her voice becoming sweet. "Think you brought a magic spark with you to help it work again."

Emma laughed. "Magic? You're starting to sound like…"

Regina put out her hand. "I know. I did it intentionally."

She turned around and followed Emma to the diner. Once inside, Regina headed to the counter while she stayed behind. The girl who was yelling at her grandmother the night before took her order. Emma squinted to read her name tag: _Ruby._

"My usual. And one black coffee."

"Yes, Madam Mayor."

Emma approached the counter, folding her arms across her chest. "Madam Mayor?"

"Yes. Got a problem with it?"

"Nope." She smirked. "I'll have to remember the name, _dear._ "

She noticed Regina bite her lip, trying to hold back her laughter. She smiled at the silly behavior and reached into her pocket, pulling out some money. "Let me…"

Regina looked down at her hand and then shook her head fiercely. "I've got it."

"Regina…"

Her brown eyes met hers, pleading with her to put the money away. " _Please._ Just let me pay. Trust me."

"Okay…"

Ruby reappeared then with the two coffees. She looked at Emma with interest, glancing at her and then at Regina as she handed her the cups. "Here you go."

Regina placed the money on the counter. "Thank you."

"Have a nice day, you two."

They both nodded to her. Emma detected annoyance in Regina's expression when she turned around. She lowered her voice. Emma took this as a sign to talk quietly as well.

"Did you like what I got you yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Here."

"You like black coffee?"

"No, but…" Regina glanced around her. Ruby was out of sight now, most likely consulting with someone in the kitchen. "I don't usually order two coffees. I only do that when…" She hesitated for a moment, seemingly lost for words. Emma was about to prompt her further, but she spoke again before she could. "When I stop by the sheriff's office. He's always so busy, and I know he likes his coffee. Sheriff Graham? You should go see him some time."

She nodded and looked down at the coffee in her hands. "So ordering two of the same…"

"Looked suspicious yesterday."

"Gotcha."

"Well…"

"See you around?"

"Yes, dear."

"Okay, _Madam Mayor._ "

"Please, Emma. Just Regina will do."

"Okay, _just Regina._ "

"You know what I mean."

Emma nodded and grinned quickly. They both went their separate ways, Regina leaving the diner and Emma heading to an empty booth. Ruby appeared almost instantly.

"She get you coffee yesterday?"

"What?"

"She ordered two of the same yesterday and then changed the order today. Didn't like what she originally got you?"

 _Shit._ "She didn't get me coffee yesterday."

"Sure." Ruby put a hand on her hip. "I'd be careful around her, if I were you."

Emma sipped her coffee nervously. "What do you mean?"

"The kind gesture." Ruby pointed to the coffee in her hands. "It may seem like she's being nice to you, but don't trust it. She's a manipulator."

"And you know this how?"

"Outside visitors don't last long around here. Hell, they hardly ever come here." Ruby handed her a menu. "The mayor doesn't like visitors. So she sees to taking care of them."

"Oh?"

"Basically, she'll do whatever it takes to get rid of them."

"So you're saying I'm a threat?"

"Exactly. So like I said. Be careful."

"Thanks for the warning." Emma opened the menu and read through the first few breakfast options. She turned back to the waitress. "However, I think I can sort out the wrong type myself. It's what I do for a living."

Ruby was taken aback, surprise washing over her face.

"I'll keep a look out." She focused her attention back on the menu.

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Emma didn't get it. She was the third person to tell her Regina was not who she said she was. First Henry, then Mary Margaret, and now Ruby. It definitely set an alarm off. Regina had been so nice to her, but she had seen her yell at Mary Margaret yesterday and the brief instance of annoyance today. She had certainly overreacted with Mary Margaret, but that was out of worry for finding Henry. And the annoyance in her expression… Well, that was so subtle, it honestly meant nothing to her.

Something wasn't right. That was for sure.

She still trusted Regina, though.

* * *

First weekend in Storybrooke. Emma knew it was going to be a good one.

She had arrived in town on a Monday night, and it was already Saturday morning. The time had gone by fast. She was getting used to the charm of the place. She had been accustomed to living in big cities before this, but the small town atmosphere was growing on her.

Emma took one last look at her appearance in the mirror. She brushed off her sweater with her hand and then adjusted the two necklaces hanging around her neck. She paused for a moment, picking up Regina's ring and holding it between her thumb and forefinger.

What was he like? When did they meet? Did he leave Regina alone unexpectedly like Neal had done to her? Or did something happen to him that caused the two to drift apart?

Her heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't died, had he?

She hoped that wasn't the reason for their relationship coming to an end.

Emma traced her thumb along the inside of the ring.

How long had Regina worn it? Had they had plans to get married? _Had_ they been married?

She could imagine the day Regina had received the ring from him, the tremendous joy she had been feeling the minute it was placed on her finger. And suddenly, she began to slip the ring on to her ring finger, the thought of Regina being so happy drawing her to put it on. She was met with an instant warmth inside her. Dare she say it, but it felt like magic was traveling through her body, Regina's emotions of the so called memory resonating with her. That was, if magic somehow existed and that was what magic was supposed to feel like.

It lasted only a few seconds, but there was no mistaking what she had felt as soon as she had the ring on. The sensation was invigorating, and it brought upon a greater closeness and connectedness to Regina, seemingly strengthening the bond between her and the brunette in a way that she couldn't explain. Emma could only comprehend it as yet another sign that her settling down in Storybrooke was what she was meant to do.

She slipped the ring off her finger and let it fall back to her chest. She realigned Regina's necklace with her own and then smiled up at her reflection.

Meant to do.

She really didn't need any more signs.

One week, and she just knew. Just like how she felt so sure that being with Regina felt right.

 _This_ is _my home. I just know that belong here._

Emma glanced over at her iPhone when she heard it buzz.

 _xxxxxx_

 _1:42pm_ _–_ _Regina Mills: Just left the house. We'll see you soon :)_

 _1:44pm_ _–_ _Emma Swan: Can't wait :) See you two there!_

 _xxxxxx_

Emma pocketed her phone, grabbed her room key and car keys, and made her way downstairs. She caught Ruby's eyes as she walked around the front of the diner to her car. Despite their tense exchange a few days ago, Ruby hadn't given her too much trouble about Regina since then. She had kept her distance the last couple of times she had eaten at the diner, and Regina reported she had appeared less interested in her order when she got her coffee in the mornings. It was almost as if Ruby had moved on, suddenly distracted by something of much more importance to her.

A pickup truck pulled up outside the diner, and Ruby immediately turned her attention to the guy getting out of the vehicle. She started to twirl her hair around her finger.

Emma grinned at the scene and jumped into her car.

That would be the source of Ruby's distraction. And at the moment, she was thankful for it.

She started up the VW, turned the radio on low, and drove away. She hummed along to the music as she thought about the upcoming day she was about to spend with Regina and Henry at Storybrooke's Annual Pumpkin Weekend.

When she had suggested she go with Regina to the festival on her first morning in town, she had merely been joking around with her. She wasn't even sure that Regina was going herself, and she thought Henry may have already made plans to go with some of the kids from his class. Of course, that was before she found out that Henry was a bit of a loner. In the end, she figured she wouldn't ask, since neither Regina nor Henry had mentioned anything about the event. That was, until Thursday night came around.

Mary Margaret was the first person to encourage her to attend. She spotted her that night outside of Granny's as she looked at a flyer for the Pumpkin Weekend.

"Emma?"

She looked to the right and saw the teacher standing by her side. "Mary Margaret. It's good to see you again."

"You as well."

Emma turned to face her. "How's Henry been at school?"

"Great. He's been participating quite a bit more in class these last two days than he's normally done in the past. He seems much happier, actually. I think it's because of you being here, Emma."

She smiled at her words.

"Speaking of Henry…" Mary Margaret nodded towards the flyer. "You should go with him."

"I'm sure he already has plans."

"With Regina, maybe. But she has taken him every year. You should get to take him this time."

"I don't know."

"Henry is your son, too. I think it wouldn't be very fair of her to say no."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Besides. It seems like Regina is a little more willing to listen to you than most. At least, that's what I noticed on the day you two were looking for Henry. But maybe she's caused you trouble since?"

"No. Not at all. I'll try asking her."

"If it doesn't work out, you can always join me. I'll be working one of the booths with a few of the other elementary school teachers. Probably won't be as fun as it would be with Henry, but you can at least experience one of our festivals here."

"Thanks, Mary Margaret. I'll let you know."

Unlike what Emma had led Mary Margaret to believe, she knew Regina wouldn't mind if she came along with her and Henry to the festival. When she arrived back in her room that evening, she didn't have to bother calling Regina. She beat her to it.

"I was just going to call you."

"Were you now?"

"Uh-huh. And I think I know what you're going to ask me."

"And what's that?"

"You'd like me to join you and Henry at the festival this weekend."

"Yes. That's exactly what I was going to ask about." Regina was quiet for a moment. "So, would you like to go on Saturday?"

"Spending a Saturday with both my girlfriend and our son? I couldn't think of a better thing to do."

Regina told her Henry had mentioned wanting her to come with at dinner and that he would be asking her when she picked him up after school the next day. Henry was practically jumping for joy when Emma told him yes, and he listed off all of the fun things they would be doing as she walked home with him. During their conversation, he never said anything about his book of fairytales, and more importantly, he never spoke negatively of Regina. Emma had only been in Storybrooke for a few days, and she was already seeing a change in Henry's perception of his mother. Give it a few more weeks, and maybe he would let go of the idea of Regina being some evil queen.

Emma spotted the familiar Mercedes and pulled into the empty parking space next to it. She wasn't exactly surprised to find that no one had parked on either side of her. She figured none of the townspeople wanted to risk any damage to her car because of a bad parking job, and based on what she had heard from others in the last few days, getting on the mayor's bad side was the last thing you wanted to do.

She got out of her car and started to walk over to the park where the festival was being held. She glanced at both the VW and Mercedes. Her car was well within the lines, and there was enough space in between the two that even with her passenger's side door open all the way, it would never touch the Mercedes. Of course, Regina had helped a bit with that. Her right car tires were slightly over the line dividing her parking spot and the one next to hers.

She chuckled at the sight and snapped a picture of it with her phone.

The perks of being the mayor's girlfriend.

 _I get to park next to her without too much worry,_ and _I can tease her about her parking job._

She saw the two waiting patiently for her by the entrance to the festival, and Henry was in the middle of talking to Regina. She noticed her arrival first and nodded over to her. Henry turned around immediately and called out joyfully, "Emma!"

"Hey, Henry." Emma smiled at him and then looked at Regina. "Hi, Regina."

"Hello, Miss Swan." Regina reached into her coat pocket, pulled out some money, and handed it to Henry. "Why don't you go ahead and buy tickets for the carnival games?"

"Okay." He took the money from her and sprinted away.

Emma watched him as he left and took a few steps closer to Regina when he was far enough away. The brunette eyed her and flashed one of her beautiful smiles as she said sweetly, "Good afternoon, Emma."

"Good afternoon, Regina."

"Sorry about all of the formality."

"It's okay. I understand. We're working towards an open relationship."

"We can enjoy the Miner's Day Festival in February together." She added with a grin, "That's our other big event in Storybrooke."

"Sounds like a plan."

Regina looked down at the ground, her smile growing wider. Emma found herself beaming as well, especially with hearing the brunette be so open about a future together. Over the last few days, she had come to realize that with Regina, she could embrace the idea of a future. She was looking forward to what was to come, particularly all of the moments she would get to spend with both her and Henry.

Her hand fell to her pocket, and she remembered the picture she took only a few minutes ago. She pulled out her phone.

"So… I see why no one parks next to you."

"Hm?" She turned her gaze towards the parking lot.

"Unless you were leaving room for me so we could share a parking space? It wouldn't be the first thing we shared."

Regina looked back at her, and Emma was amused by her perplexed expression.

"You took up two spaces."

"I did not."

She quickly scrolled to the end of her photos and chose the picture of the Mercedes. She held up the phone to Regina.

"That is barely over the line."

"Still over."

Regina pushed the phone away. "And I'd like to see your parking job."

"Perfectly in the lines."

"We'll see if that's the case every time."

Emma placed her phone back in her pocket and looked across the park to where Henry was standing in line. There were still quite a few others ahead of him. Most were kids around his age, but there was also a small group of teenagers who appeared to all be friends and a family with their twin daughters at the front of the line. She guessed them to be around six years old. After they received their tickets, the two parents walked away holding hands and smiled as the two girls pointed excitedly at the carnival games they wanted to play first.

She was reminded of a home once again, about the home she never had growing up, about the one she had always wanted, and about the one she could be taking strides towards with Henry and Regina.

She glanced at the woman standing next to her and then at the son they were so lucky to have in their lives.

 _Home. A place with the people you can call family._

 _Me, Regina, and Henry._

A sudden thought came to her. Would Regina and Henry enjoy going on a trip with her sometime?

"Ever been to Boston before?"

Regina shook her head. "No. I don't have much time to travel outside town with the job."

"Think you'd have a weekend open sometime? Better yet, maybe we could do a trip with Henry? I bet he'd love it."

"I'm sure he would. As would I. I'm sure I can manage to find a weekend that would work."

Henry had almost made it to the front of the line now, and he was waiting behind two others to purchase his tickets. "When we tell him about us, of course."

"Yeah. When we tell him."

As much as Regina seemed to welcome the idea of a trip together, Emma noticed a slight change in demeanor as she mentioned revealing their relationship to Henry. She figured Regina was still worried about how he would react to them being together, especially with him holding on so tightly to his belief that the fairytales in his book were true. If today went well, and the three of them spent more time together later on, Emma really felt that things would change. He did believe in happy endings, after all. Despite what Henry assumed Regina to have done in her past, she bet all the kid really wanted for both of his mothers was to be happy. And if that was for her and Regina to be together, then she knew he wouldn't want to take that happiness away from them.

Once Henry had his tickets, he hurried back over to them. "So… What should we do first?"

Emma and Regina exchanged a quick glance, and when Regina didn't say anything, she looked back to Henry and said, "Whatever you'd like, kid."

"Cool!"

He nodded in the direction of the games, and they followed him. Emma remembered the list of things he had mentioned wanting to do at the festival from their walk home the previous day, which included nearly all of the carnival games there. Emma didn't stay as a passive observer for long, and being a child at heart, she went to buy tickets for herself so she could face off against him. Even though Regina didn't join in on the games, she was completely entertained by the competition going on between her and Henry. She heard her laugh several times, and she knew it was because Henry was kicking her ass at most of the games they played. She had attended numerous festivals like this one when she was a kid and used to be pretty skilled at these kinds of games, but it was evident she had lost her touch over the years.

"I was much better at these games when I was younger," she told Regina as Henry took off running for another booth.

"Sure about that? Or are you just upset that a ten year old is beating you?"

"No…"

"That sounds like such a convincing no, dear."

Emma shrugged it off and abruptly changed the subject. "So… I have yet to see a 'Bobbing for Apples' booth."

"What?"

"You love apples. I was sure that booth would be a staple for the festival. In honor of the mayor's love for apples, of course."

Regina laughed. "Sorry to disappoint, but you won't find that particular booth. I can put in a request for you for next year, if you'd like me to."

Emma threw out her hands in front of her in exaggeration. "Well, _duh._ That's like my favorite, obviously."

The brunette laughed again and then nodded to Henry. "Go on. You have another game to lose."

She frowned and said quietly, "Such a supportive girlfriend."

"I'm just being realistic based on what I've seen. But if it makes you feel better, I'll wish you good luck."

"Mmhm. Watch me win."

Henry had settled on playing Balloon Dart Toss, and this time, neither of them were having any luck. Emma was on her fourth dart, and when she threw the dart at the balloon she was aiming for, it hit the balloon but failed to pop it once again.

"Come on!" she yelled in frustration. "That totally should have popped."

A giggle sounded next to her, and she caught a glimpse of Regina smirking at her. She turned to face her, holding out the last dart to her. Regina looked at her hand warily.

"I don't do carnival games."

 _I'm not going to let her get away with it that easy._

Emma pouted.

"No."

She continued to pout, but before Regina could protest any further, Henry spoke up.

"Try it, Mom!"

Regina looked from her to Henry, who was standing behind her and couldn't see that she was now giving the brunette her best puppy dog face.

"I'm sure I'm not any good."

"You won't know if you don't try. But I bet you can do it. I believe in you."

Slowly, the frown on Emma's face disappeared as Henry's words rang in her mind. _I believe in you._ His tone had been completely genuine, his response heartfelt and honest. Hearing those words was exactly what Regina needed, to know her son believed in her ability to try and be successful. Emma knew he wasn't simply talking about the game they were playing. His message stretched far beyond that.

Regina's eyes connected with hers, and she could read how much his words had impacted her, the overwhelming emotions brought on by that sentence clear in those brown depths. Emma gave her an encouraging smile and then mouthed the words, "I believe in you, too," before extending her hand out further to her. Regina took the dart without hesitation, and she turned to face the booth, taking a few steps forward to get a closer look of her targets. It didn't take her long to choose a balloon to aim at, and she held up her hand, getting ready to throw.

Emma held her breath as she waited.

 _You can do this, Regina. You_ can _do this._

She threw the dart forward, and nearly seconds later, a satisfying _pop_ sounded in the air as the red balloon she hit burst into pieces at the dart's impact. Henry jumped up at the victory.

"You did it! I knew you could!"

Regina glanced down at her hand and said softly, "I did."

"Not any good, huh?"

She looked over to her as soon as she asked the question, a mixture of disbelief and confusion present in her expression. And that was when Emma knew something more than merely popping a balloon had happened in that moment. It was as if she had experienced something she couldn't put to words in the seconds that it took for the dart to leave her hand and pop the balloon. It mirrored her experience that morning, when those rush of immense feelings had flowed through her body the minute she placed Regina's ring on her finger. The one experience she wanted to equate with magic because it was quite unlike anything she had encountered in her life.

Regina stumbled with her words when she finally responded. "I, uh… I guess I doubted my own abilities."

Henry had a wide grin on his face. "So, Mom… Wanna give it another go?"

Regina snapped out of her reverie and smiled down at him. "Why not?"

"Awesome!"

He handed her his two remaining darts, and with each one she threw, it was a perfect hit. Henry was completely ecstatic by the whole thing while Regina still seemed somewhat bewildered by her stroke of luck with the game. After a trip to Regina's car to drop off the prize Henry had picked out from the game, they decided to get food. Henry spotted a food stand he wanted to order from and made his way over to the line. Emma stayed back with Regina for a moment before following him.

"You're a good shot, I see."

"I really have no idea how any of that happened back there."

"I think I may know."

Regina tilted her head slightly at the comment.

"You believed in yourself, Regina. Just like I believe in you." She rested her hand on her shoulder. "And just like Henry believes in you."

She smiled at her.

Emma took her hand away and nodded towards Henry. "Now, let's go eat. I'm starving."

"How did I know you would say that?"

"What can I say? I love food!"

Regina just shook her head at her silliness.

Once they had all gotten their food, they met back together and chose a picnic table to sit at. They sat in silence for a while, neither of them used to the idea of eating a meal together. Emma and Regina made sure to sit on opposite sides, and Henry gravitated to her, taking a seat on her side rather than sitting next to Regina. This bothered Emma a bit, but based on what she had seen so far today, she knew Henry was slowly rekindling his relationship with his mother.

"So, after we finish, can we go pick out our pumpkin?"

Regina glanced at her, and she gave a small nod. "Sure thing, Henry."

"It's a tradition. Every year, we pick out a pumpkin and then carve it together."

"Henry does most of the artwork now. He's much more creative than me."

He shrugged it off as he took another bite of his hotdog.

Emma thought it was great that the two had annual holiday traditions to look forward to, and she was especially thankful Henry had the opportunity to experience something she had so little of in her own life. "That sounds like a lot of fun, you two."

"You can help us this year!" he exclaimed suddenly, before turning to Regina and giving her what resembled the pleading expression she had given her earlier during the Balloon Dart Toss game. That, she knew, he had gotten from her. _Oh, when he knows about our relationship and we both try to use those puppy dog eyes on her… We're going to be unstoppable!_ "Is that okay, Mom?"

She took a minute before answering, as if to consider whether this was a good idea or not, but Emma knew she wouldn't mind the company at all. "It's okay with me."

"Awesome! Thanks, Mom!"

"Thank you, Regina."

She nodded to both of them.

Well, Emma now had plans for Sunday. It had been too long since she'd spent the weekend doing something that didn't involve tracking down a person on the run. She could definitely get used to this.

 _I could use a change in jobs. I wonder… What could I do here?_

As she went to throw away her things, she ran into Mary Margaret. The teacher nodded behind her. "So I see Regina let you come along?"

"Yeah. She did. I'm glad, too. I'm really enjoying spending time with Henry."

"That's great to hear. Seems like Regina is warming up to you."

Emma cast a quick glance behind her shoulder to the two of them and then looked back at Mary Margaret. She couldn't keep the hesitancy out of her voice as she responded. "It does."

"That's a good thing, though. Regina is a rather private person. I've always wondered if opening up to someone, or having one good friend she can talk to, would… I don't know… Maybe change her a bit? Make her more sociable?"

 _Crap! Are we making things too obvious because we're being nice to each other? Maybe I shouldn't have rested my hand on her shoulder back there… Okay. I highly doubt she saw that. She just thinks Regina is being more friendly towards me than most. She isn't suspecting a romance. But she is sure too damn observant for her own good._

Mary Margaret was laughing at herself now. "Wow. I make it sound like she's a brick wall. She can certainly talk, it's just… The words that come out of her mouth don't really make anyone want to befriend her. They'd rather run in the opposite direction…" She paused and shook her head. "I should really stop talking now. I apologize for the rambling."

Emma was still slightly fazed by her own thoughts and only heard half of what she'd said. Something about brick walls and running in the opposite direction? Was she trying to make an overarching metaphor that was supposed to be an impactful message about hope? The teacher did seem to cling on to that idea... "Oh, um, it's okay. You, uh, think Regina and I are friends?"

Mary Margaret looked relieved by the question. "Well, maybe not yet. But Henry will bring you two together at some point, whether she likes it or not. And maybe she'll begin to see you as more of a friend then."

"Yeah…"

Mary Margaret started to wave, and Emma glanced behind her shoulder again. Henry had noticed her and was waving at her. Regina gave a small wave, but she quickly focused her attention elsewhere.

"Well, I don't want to keep you three. Plus, I have a booth to run. Don't want the other teachers to think I left them!" She made the motion to walk away, but stopped and turned back to her. "Oh! One more thing. I suggest taking Henry on the Ferris Wheel. The view you can see of the town is incredible from the top. Not only that, but Henry always has to get someone else to go with him. Regina won't go on it."

This surprised Emma. "She won't?"

"No. There were a few times I took him, and he told me about it." Even though Regina was out of earshot, she lowered her voice anyway, as if she thought the wind would carry her words all the way to her. "Regina is afraid of heights, but don't tell her I told you that."

Emma lowered her voice as well. She tried to bite back the smirk at Mary Margaret's ridiculous behavior, afraid she may offend her, but she just couldn't. She was lucky she hadn't let herself laugh. "Don't worry. Secret's safe with me."

There were no signs of sudden irritation brought upon by the smirk in her expression, and she merely nodded in response. "I also wouldn't miss the hayride. That's always fun, too."

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

"I'll see you around, Emma."

"See you."

As Emma went back to join Regina and Henry, she couldn't stop thinking about what Mary Margaret had revealed to her. The idea of being so far off the ground had terrified her so much that she couldn't even get on a Ferris Wheel for her son. Emma wasn't going to poke fun at her for that. She knew that her fear must have been linked to some traumatic experience, and it pained her to think of what it could be.

She was distracted by the thought as she helped Henry in choosing his pumpkin. Her and Regina volunteered a couple of options, but the kid seemed to have very high expectations for this pumpkin. He knew when he found the perfect one. He called them over, and Emma had to admit, it was the best of all the ones they had considered. It also looked somewhat heavy. She didn't want to discredit Regina's fitness, but she knew she had more of the arm strength to carry that thing back to her car. She quickly picked it up before Regina could even think about taking it.

"You don't have to do that…"

"It's no big deal. I've got it."

By the time they got back to her car, her muscles were aching. But she was sure the hell glad she had taken it for Regina. She practically threw it down on the seat (gently of course—Regina would have certainly gotten pissed off at her had she accidentally smashed the thing and gotten the remains all over the backseat of her car). When neither of the two were looking, she rubbed her arms.

 _Damn. I need to hit the gym more. And not just because that pumpkin gave me trouble._

She glanced at Regina's backside as she followed her and Henry. A sudden warmth traveled through her.

 _I've got all of the motivation I need walking right in front of me._

Emma heard Henry call over his shoulder to her about wanting to get ice cream. She looked up at him and caught Regina smirking at her. The brunette knew what her response would be.

"You gonna get some too, Emma?"

"You don't have to ask me twice, kid. Race ya there!"

He took off running, and she hurried after him. Regina just shook her head and waited for them to return.

 _There's my exercise for the day!_

After getting their ice cream, they found another picnic table to sit at and talked some more. It was nearly nightfall now, and after spending most of the day with each other, their conversation came with much more ease than it had earlier. But once they began to walk around the park for some time and approached nearer to the Ferris Wheel, Regina's comments became less and less, and Emma knew she was anticipating what was to come.

Henry stopped and turned to her. "Want to go on the Ferris Wheel with me, Emma?"

"I'd love to!"

He smiled. "Great!"

Emma glanced to her side. Regina had certainly frozen up at the suggestion, her face paling at the thought of having to get on the ride. She stared blankly in front of her, and Emma wondered if she reliving the haunting memory that brought on her fear of heights in that moment. She looked back at Henry. "How about you head over to the line and I'll join you in a few?"

He simply nodded and started his trek towards the Ferris Wheel. When he was far enough away, she turned to Regina. She wasn't going to force her to join, nor was she going to make her confess to her fears, but she didn't want to completely give away that she knew the real reason for her sudden change in demeanor. "I'm sure Henry meant for you to come with, too."

Regina shrugged it off as casually as she could and nervously shoved her hands in her coat pockets. "That's okay. I'll just wait for you two."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to miss out."

"Don't worry about it. I haven't missed out on a thing today." She smiled at her, and some of the color returned to her face. "Go have some fun with Henry."

"Okay. We'll see you after the ride then."

Regina nodded.

When they settled down onto the ride, Henry commented on his mother's absence. "My mom's afraid of heights."

Emma feigned her surprise. "Oh."

"It's okay, though. I remember when I was really afraid of the dark. Mom never forced me to sleep without some type of light on at night. Actually, she got me this really cool nightlight that shines stars up on the ceiling. I loved it so much. I still even use it now sometimes."

She smiled at his story.

"I don't force her to go on the Ferris Wheel with me. I figure when she's ready, she'll join me. Just like one day, I won't need to have the nightlight at all anymore."

"That's really considerate of you, Henry."

He shrugged it off, not sure of how to respond to her statement. As soon as the ride began, he changed the topic right away, pointing out all the buildings they could see from the top and giving her a brief history of the town. And as she listened to him, she kept thinking about how lucky she was for Regina to have adopted her son. Sure, he was a little too attached to his book of fairytales and was distancing himself from his mother because of it, but he was going through a phase just like any kid his age. Deep down, he had a big heart. And that wasn't a trait he had somehow inherited from her. That was all Regina.

 _You raised a damn good kid, Regina. I'm glad he has you to call his mother._

* * *

She remembered the fall. The mixed feelings she had during the course of it all. First was the relief that came with letting go, with finally being free from a life that had been chosen for her, _not_ by her. It was quickly replaced by an overwhelming dread, regret filling her mind as the reality kicked in of what she had done. Because she could have pushed through. Given it just a little more time, and maybe, just _maybe_ , her life could have gotten better. If even only slightly.

But how could she have changed her mindset before taking that plunge? She was at the lowest point in her life, more miserable than she had been after Daniel had passed. His death had broken her to pieces, but she had been able to move forward because of him. Her love for him kept the little hope she had left inside of her alive. But after years of being locked up in that castle, always being put on the sidelines, her voice never being heard… She'd lost hope in hope itself. She was queen, but she was nothing. Her sense of self had slipped away, the true Regina making less and less of an appearance as each day passed by. And no one cared to pay attention. Not the king, not Snow, not her mother. Even her father seemed to miss it.

So the thoughts came. Of ending it all.

The words she had written in her journal the night of the fall expressed her willingness to be done.

 _xxxxxx_

 _Here I ask myself, 'Would it really matter if I was gone'? when I already know the answer to that question. I_ _am_ _already gone. If I removed myself from this silly game I continue to play day in and day out, what difference would it make? I owe no piece to the structure. The kingdom wouldn't crumble because I was missing. No love would be lost, because there was none._

 _xxxxxx_

The doubts of ever having a chance at a happy ending had clouded her mind even then.

 _xxxxxx_

 _To say I'll ever be happy, or even come close to that perfect fairytale ending, is farfetched. I think some people just don't get a chance at happiness, and it's likely that I am one of those people. So why should I push for something that I'm just not meant to have? It's not worth the fight when the ending is inevitable._

 _xxxxxx_

So she approached that balcony in her room. Eyed the grounds below her. Imagined what it would be like if she went through with it. And finally, it would just all be over. There would be no more unhappiness, no more insufferable pain, no more feeling so very alone in a world she didn't belong to. And that was enough for her to take the step. She gripped tightly on to the surrounding railing, leaned forward slightly, and breathed in the evening air. And then she started to push on to the railing with her hands, lightly at first, but more forcefully as all of the emotions came rushing through her. She just kept inching, more and more over that damn railing, until it happened. The railing went first, and then she let herself go.

She had later denied to her rescuer that she had chosen to jump. She'd said it was an accident. That once the railing broke, she had lost her balance and fell forward.

But of course it was no accident. She wanted to end her life, and she had made the decision to go through with it that night.

She was lucky to have gotten a second chance.

She never let herself feel that way again. She would force those emotions away, resorting to anger and revenge to hide her vulnerabilities. There were still times when she woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, memories of falling haunting her dreams. There were still times when that pain came back to her and she'd break down the minute she was alone. And the fear her mother had sworn to rid her of as a little girl resurfaced with a more tremendous strength over her mind than ever before. She couldn't handle being high up in the air. She wouldn't dare go near a ledge where she could peer over and see the grounds below her. Even in the days that she had been living in exile in that insipid castle, she kept a meaningful distance from the balcony in that room. They were all triggers. For her, height meant falling, and falling equated itself with death. Voluntary or not.

There was more to her fear than that night, but she was trying to keep those memories away. That fall was enough, and she could feel herself shaking, the world around her beginning to spin. Sure, most would think it ridiculous that a Ferris Wheel would trigger her panic. But being at the highest point of the ride for just those few seconds and seeing the town below her, even the mere thought of it, reminded her of falling. And then she would have to deal with that the number of times the thing went around. She couldn't forget the possibility of the ride malfunctioning, and being stuck at the top until they could get her down…

She turned away from the Ferris Wheel and hurried to the nearest tree, leaning against it immediately and hugging her arms tightly around her stomach. She tried to steady her breathing, fighting the urge to get sick.

 _Stop thinking of falling. Stop._

 _Think of today. Of how much fun you've had with Emma and Henry._

 _Emma and Henry. Just think of them._

She closed her eyes and pictured them, their smiling faces filling her mind and bringing an instant ease over her body.

 _There. That's it. You're okay. You're okay._

She opened her eyes again after a few minutes had passed, but she didn't once lock her gaze on that damn ride. She glanced around her, and she was grateful that no one seemed to have noticed her brief moment of panic. She pulled her coat closer around her and walked away from the tree, eyeing an empty picnic table to sit at. A voice stopped her in her tracks, and she turned around to see the pawnbroker standing a few feet away from her, leaning on to his cane for support.

 _Great. What the hell does he want?_

"Madam Mayor. Enjoying the festival, are we?"

"I suppose I am. How about you, Mr. Gold?"

"I would say I'm finding it quite entertaining."

Regina swallowed hard. His response made her apprehensive, and not because he may have witnessed her breakdown minutes ago. She already knew there were townspeople who had learned of her fear of heights, one of those people being Mary Margaret, as she had taken Henry on the Ferris Wheel in the past. No, Gold was here for something else. Something else that she feared had to do with Emma.

He nodded in the direction of the Ferris Wheel. "I see the boy's birth mother has joined you two."

She answered a little too quickly at his observation. _Way to sound defensive, Regina._ "Henry invited her."

"And you allowed her to come along anyway?"

"Well, I can't keep Henry away from her all of the time. Especially since it seems she's decided to stay longer than I'd originally expected."

"Perhaps you should have come to me. If Miss Swan is a problem you can't fix, I'm only too happy to help. For a price, of course."

No way.

Regardless of whether or not Emma had been a problem she wanted to rid herself of, she would never go back to him for deals. She'd had enough of that during her reign as the Evil Queen.

"I'm not in the business of making deals with you anymore."

"To which deal are you referring?"

 _Oh, don't play dumb with me, Gold._ "You know what deal."

"Oh, right. Yeah. The boy I procured for you. Henry. Ever tell you what a lovely name that was? However did you pick it?"

Her father.

She named Henry after her father. To honor him for always looking out for her. For supporting her in everything she did, even when her intentions were bad. For seeing her simply as Regina, his daughter, and never as the Evil Queen. Her reasons for using Daniel's name as Henry's middle name were similar. She loved both of them very much, and she knew she would love the child just as much.

The question Gold asked, though… He knew something more. Or at least discovered something was not right about Storybrooke. She always had her suspicions. Gold was tricky… Both here and in the Enchanted Forest.

Regina let her eyes linger past Gold, just so she could see Emma and Henry walking towards them in her line of sight and not the Ferris Wheel. Emma caught her glance and frowned at Gold's presence. The blonde was certainly a good judge of character, and she had told her there was something about him she didn't trust. If only she knew.

"Look, Mr. Gold. I assure you, everything is taken care of. I don't need your help."

"You let me know if that changes."

 _Shit._

There was a glint in his eyes. There was no mistaking it. And that was when Regina knew for sure. Of all the damn people…

He had to have known about her relationship with Emma before the festival and figured they would come together. He was using the festival to gather more evidence to confirm what he had already found out, and she bet that he had been following them all day, stealthily blending in the background and only inconveniencing her now with the offer of a deal in the mix to rattle her.

Some things never changed with him.

Regina tried to keep her even composure as her mind began to fill with worry.

 _How the_ hell _had he found out? And when? Emma has been here for a week. A week, and the damn imp already knew!_

Emma and Henry came over to her side, and Emma folded her arms across her chest as he greeted the two.

"Hello, Henry. Hello, Miss Swan."

"Hi," the blonde replied. Henry remained quiet, glancing warily at him.

"Enjoy the rest of the festival, all of you."

"Thanks."

Gold nodded to them and turned around. Emma continued to stare at him as he walked away, a disgruntled look on her face. She immediately brightened up when Henry began to talk.

"So… Wanna go on the hayride now?"

Regina felt herself ease up, and she smiled at his suggestion. "Already? Even though you just got off the Ferris Wheel?"

He nodded.

"I suppose if Miss Swan is okay with it, then we can."

Henry looked back at Emma.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

As she walked with Emma and Henry to the hayride and listened to their conversation, it really hit her. This was what she had almost thrown away all those years ago. She would have never had the chance to be a mother, to have a son she loved so dearly, to have someone to share that life with, to fall for someone again like she had with Daniel…

They took their seats on the hayride, Henry sitting in the middle of them. Emma glanced over at her and gave her a small smile.

 _This is it. I just know it._

It had taken years, but that happy ending she once never thought she could have, it was within reach this time. And she wouldn't let this one get away.

"Let's take a picture," Emma said suddenly, pulling out her iPhone. "So we can remember this day."

"Yeah!" Henry exclaimed.

"Regina?"

"I think it's a great idea."

"Okay." She held up the phone in front of them. "Get close together everyone. I don't want to cut anyone out of the picture."

They moved closer, and Emma got ready to take the picture.

"Say cheese!"

Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's silly comment.

"Okay, I saw that Regina."

" _Cheeeese_ ," she said sarcastically.

Henry giggled.

"That's more like it. On three. One, two, three…"

Despite how ridiculous they sounded, they all said "cheese" and gave their best smiles for the camera. They looked through the pictures Emma had taken afterward, most of which had turned out nice.

"Now for the funny pictures?"

"You read my mind, kid."

Emma and Henry looked expectantly at her.

"I suppose I'll contribute to a few of those."

 _More photos for my album later. Ones to commemorate a new chapter of my life. Of_ our _lives._

And she would have videos now, too. Henry moved from picture taking to video recording, filming the scenery around him and narrating their trip around the park. He was quite the storyteller. Maybe he would be a writer one day?

After the ride was over, they started to make their way back to their cars. Henry made no protests, and Regina noticed him dragging his feet a bit on the walk back. It was already an hour past his bedtime, and she knew from previous years that the hayride was always the last thing they did. When he was younger, he would nearly be asleep by the end of the ride, his head resting against her shoulder and his eyes closed. He would still try to deny he was tired as they left the festival, and then minutes later, he would be passed out in the backseat of the car.

Emma had to point out her parking job when they stopped in front of the Mercedes. So she was a tad over the line. Big deal. She couldn't wait to catch her off guard.

Just like she was about to do now.

When Henry had his back turned to them, she elbowed Emma in the side. The blonde stumbled and pouted at her in response.

Regina mouthed at her, "All good fun, right?".

Emma put her hand to her side and mumbled, "Uh-huh."

Henry was completely oblivious to what had just happened when he turned back around. "Goodnight, Emma! I'm glad you came."

"Me too. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yep!"

Regina unlocked the car for him, and he climbed into the backseat. When she heard the car door close shut, she turned to Emma. "I'm glad you came, too. I think we can all agree we had fun today."

The blonde nodded.

"And thank you for earlier. For not questioning why I didn't go with you two on the Ferris Wheel. I'm sure Henry told you why, though."

"He did. And don't worry, Regina. I would never have forced you to go. I understand that whatever the reason is for your fear of heights, it must have been traumatic."

Regina clutched her hands together, as if that would keep the memories away. _"_ Yeah. I don't really want to talk about it."

"You don't have to. But if you ever do want to talk about it, just know I'll listen."

"Thanks."

"Henry understands, too. If you didn't know. He compared it to how sleeping at night in the dark still scares him a bit. He said one day, when both of you are ready, you'll find it in yourselves to embrace those fears."

Regina smiled.

"You raised a good kid, Regina. He's more understanding than most his age, and he loves with a big heart. That's why I think he'll come around with all this fairytale stuff. Look at today. He didn't say anything hurtful to you."

"No, he didn't. He told me he believed in me."

"Exactly."

That moment was a stepping stone. They may have been playing a carnival game, but hearing him say those words was comforting. If he believed in her now, surely he would believe in her to change after the curse broke, despite her villainous past?

Only time would tell.

"Tomorrow for carving pumpkins, then?"

Regina hadn't forgotten what Emma had said after reading about the Pumpkin Weekend in the newspaper her first day here. "You wouldn't rather smash it to pieces?"

It took a few seconds for her to realize what she was referring to. She smirked. "Not this time." She put her hands her in jean pockets, then took a few steps backward towards her car. Regina knew if they could, they would give each other a goodnight's kiss before going their separate ways. But they were working towards that, and she could be patient.

They both got into their respective cars. Regina looked to her left when she started up the Mercedes, and Emma waved her on, signaling to her to go first. She nodded, backed out of the space, and drove away. She glanced at Henry through the rearview mirror, catching him in the middle of a yawn.

 _Not asleep yet._

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Thanks for letting Emma join us. Today and tomorrow."

"Of course." She was quiet for a moment. "Henry, you can spend time with her. She is your birth mother, after all. I know you want to get to know her."

"Really?"

"Yes. As long as it's okay with her, and you let me know when you are with her, I will allow you to see her."

"Thanks, Mom."

Henry hadn't fallen asleep by the time they got home. She expected he would run inside the house when she turned the car off and hurry up to bed, but he surprised her. He came around the side of the car and waited for her as she went to get their pumpkin.

"I'll help you, Mom."

"Thank you, Henry."

Together, they carried the pumpkin into the kitchen and placed it on the table.

"Do you know what you'd like to carve on the pumpkin this year?"

"I have a couple ideas. I'm not sure what to pick yet. But you and Emma should carve something on it, too. We'll have a collage of art then. What do you think?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea, dear."

 _And to think, at one point in my life I was absolutely terrified of Emma's return. That she would destroy my life and take Henry away from me in the process. All she's done is make my life better._

It was only a beginning, and there were going to bumps in the road as they moved further with their relationship, the biggest obstacle being the curse. But she was determined to make things right, and if she did, she might just have the happy ending she'd spent her whole life wishing for.

She headed to her own room after putting Henry to bed, exhaustion hitting her suddenly. She fell on to her bed and reminisced over the day's events. One detail stuck out to her, something that had left her bewildered and nearly speechless after it happened.

The carnival game. When she took that dart from Emma, she felt it. Magic. It was back in those moments she was playing the game. She would have never been a perfect shot without it. And she wasn't even sure it was her magic. It may have been Emma's, as if the blonde had transferred that magic to her. She already knew that Emma had magic. She had discovered that her first night here, after they had shared their first kiss.

She didn't know what to make of it. But it felt right. She was going to hold on to that, especially when things got tough for them in the future.

Her phone buzzed, and she smiled.

 _Who could that possibly be, I wonder?_

 _xxxxxx_

 _10:15pm – Emma Swan: Some of the pictures. I thought you might want to make one of them your background on your phone._

 _xxxxxx_

She scrolled through the pictures she had taken from the hayride and chose one. It had been a long time since she had changed her background, and she more often than not defaulted to the backgrounds that came with the phone.

 _xxxxxx_

 _10:20pm – Regina Mills: Thank you :) I just did._

 _10:22pm – Emma Swan: Which one?_

 _10:23pm – Regina Mills: The last one. Where we were all making a funny face._

 _10:24pm – Emma Swan: Me too! And you said you didn't like taking funny pictures._

 _10:26pm – Regina Mills: I never said that._

 _10:27pm – Emma Swan: Okay. You strongly implied it. 'I suppose I'll contribute to a few of those.'_

 _10:30pm – Regina Mills: Well, I guess I've developed a new liking for it after tonight._

 _xxxxxx_

There was a break in their conversation, and she decided to get settled for bed as she waited to for Emma to text back. Maybe she would pull a Henry. Fall asleep in the middle of texting her. She'd love to poke fun at her for that as payback for making fun of her parking job. If it didn't happen tonight, she bet it would another night.

 _xxxxxx_

 _10:37pm – Emma Swan: So… Who's saying goodnight first?_

 _xxxxxx_

Regina laughed at the text.

 _xxxxxx_

 _10:36pm – Regina Mills: Goodnight._

 _10:37pm – Emma Swan: Wait! I didn't say go yet._

 _10:38pm – Regina Mills: You snooze you lose. I win._

 _10:39pm – Emma Swan: But…_

 _10:39pm – Regina Mills: GOODNIGHT._

 _10:41pm – Emma Swan: :(_

 _10:42pm – Regina Mills: You are such a child, Miss Swan._

 _10:43pm – Emma Swan: I know. But that's why you like me :)_

 _xxxxxx_

She definitely had a soft spot for the blonde's humor, no matter how childish it could be sometimes.

 _xxxxxx_

 _10:45pm – Emma Swan: Goodnight, Regina :)_

 _10:46pm – Regina Mills: Goodnight, Emma :)_

 _xxxxxx_

She placed the phone on her nightstand and rested her head on her pillow.

These were the moments she lived for. Spending time with her son, late night conversations with her girlfriend, taking silly photos…

The simple moments. That was all she needed. And that was all she really ever wanted before her days as the Evil Queen. If she had held on to that, maybe she wouldn't have taken it that far.

But what was in the past was in the past. Like she'd said before, this was a new chapter of her life, a new story where the villain she once was didn't get to make her mark on the pages. This was all her, all _Regina_ , the person she used to be before her life had taken a drastic turn. She had been lost and wandered into darkness to fill the void, clinging on to it so tightly after her first taste with it. Emma had found her, the Savior—no, _her_ savior—and was slowly bringing her back into the light.

Maybe this what her second chance had been for, the many years later that Prince Charming and Snow White's child would walk into her life and sweep her off her feet.

And maybe there was a reason why Emma had a knack for finding people. Maybe she had always been meant to find her. Perhaps being a bail bondsperson wasn't something she merely fell into, but something that she was supposed to do because it would eventually lead her to her.

Maybe it had been fate all along for them to be together. Maybe.

* * *

 _Just a note, I plan for two more parts to this episode rewrite. I'm not sure if the next two parts will be as long as this one, but we'll see!_

 _Leave a review and let me know what you thought :)_


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